The Last Day of Black History Month: The Hoops Keep Coming
The Last Day of Black History Month: The Hoops Keep Coming
By: Dwight Allen O’Neal
It’s the last day of Black History Month, and instead of just celebrating Black excellence, I feel compelled to tackle a story that exemplifies the constant battle Black women—especially in creative industries—face just to get the opportunities they already deserve.
My business partner’s favorite Beyoncé album is Renaissance, and while I already loved it, she made me appreciate it on a whole new level. This album wasn’t just made—it was crafted. Every transition, every credit, every layer of respect for the communities that inspired it. The work ethic alone is unmatched, and yet, despite all of it, she still doesn’t get the universal recognition she deserves. Meanwhile, mediocrity gets celebrated like it’s groundbreaking. Even the artists who benefit from this imbalance will admit that Beyoncé deserves their accolades.
And now, in 2025, Beyoncé finally wins Album of the Year—for a country album. Interesting, right? After years of delivering genre-defining R&B, pop, and dance albums, she gets her moment for a project that falls into a category often deemed more "acceptable" by the powers that be. She had to literally switch genres before the Recording Academy gave her the award she should have won multiple times over.
This is the reality for so many Black women. They don’t just have to be great—they have to be undeniable. They have to overdeliver, anticipate resistance, and be prepared to jump through hoops that others will never even see.
Just this week, my sister shared a frustrating experience from her job in the catering industry that felt all too familiar. She’s been in the business for years—highly skilled, highly recommended, and more than capable. But when a major event needed a catering lead, she found herself having to prove herself in a way her white counterparts simply didn’t.
She was asked to submit detailed images of previous setups (despite already having a portfolio), create an entirely new tasting menu within 24 hours (a request rarely made for last-minute events), and then, after all that, sit through an interview where she was asked a series of odd, almost patronizing questions. Meanwhile, others who had done far less—without the same level of credentials—were approved based on their past work alone.
Sound familiar? It should, because this is what Black women experience across every industry. Whether it’s music, beauty, fashion, corporate America, or, in this case, catering, the expectation is always the same: Be twice as good, work twice as hard, and even then, prepare to be questioned, doubted, and overlooked.
The parallels are impossible to ignore. Black women continue to set the standard, redefine the culture, and still have to prove themselves at every turn. The hoops don’t disappear when February ends. The bar doesn’t get adjusted to where it should be. If anything, the fight only continues.
So, as Black History Month comes to a close, let’s not just reflect—let’s recognize that the work isn’t done. And let’s make sure that the next time a Black woman shows up, ready, we don’t make her jump through flames just to stand where she already belongs.