HALLOWEEN WHILE BLACK
I’ve Never Felt Safe Enough to Enjoy Halloween
Because being Black in certain spaces is scary enough
America is a country divided, and let’s face it: Black people often celebrate Halloween in a different way than White people do. Momentum takes a week-long look at #HalloweenWhileBlack.
Over a decade ago, I worked for a now-archaic media company that goes by another name now. But it was the best of times, so much so that I mourned the loss of the friends and life I lived back then for years, but I digress.
The true joy of that old gig was working with people who I’d come to love. We were friends, a mixed bag of folk shoved together due to our love of music and the internet — a United Colors of Benetton ad. But my Blackness — or better yet, their Whiteness — was usually on display when we discussed our childhoods, money, and family members back in [insert any Midwestern city] who they avoided or admonished during trips back home.
For me, one time of year stood out and highlighted our differences most: Halloween. Nothing made me feel more Black in this crew than my confusion around their love of this holiday that meant so little to me.
Don’t get me wrong, Halloween meant something to me once upon a time. There was…
