Late into the evening one night in college, we were trying to decide what to cheers to for our next round of shots. One of my roommates smiled at our friend Derrell and wished him a happy Black History Month. Nobody laughed harder than Derrell, who constantly made jokes about the lack of diversity at our university. It also turned on a lightbulb for him (many a poor decision is made in the midst of throwing back cocktails in college - this wasn’t one of them). Derrell decided he was going to host a party for all of us, where he would showcase some of his mother’s cooking from her upbringing in Ghana. We were excited too. If there’s one thing a college kid loves, it’s food.

Until that point, Black History Month had always meant learning about Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. It was incredible to have a meal and have Derrell proudly share his roots with us.

February is Black History Month. Find a way, outside of the norm, to honor it with your subscribers. Use a Benchmark Black History Month email template and bring the celebrations to their inboxes.