The 2026 Black History Month Wall of Shame
Black History Month is supposed to be a celebration. This February, it became a gauntlet.
Every February, America performs its appreciation for Black history. But this year has been rife with disappointment and disrespect. From blatant racism shown by our sitting U.S. President to the diminishing of historic firsts at the BAFTAs and the Olympics, February has dealt a near-daily slap in the face to the Black community.
Offender #1: Donald Trump
The month kicked off with Donald Trump’s heinous depiction of the Obamas as apes. Late on February 5, he posted a 62-second video with Barack and Michelle Obama’s faces superimposed onto ape bodies, dancing to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt attempted to defend the video as a “Lion King parody” and dismissed the backlash as “fake outrage.” However, the offense was so blatant that even Republicans like Sen. Tim Scott spoke out against it. Scott called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” while Republican Rep. Mike Turner called the images “offensive, heartbreaking, and unacceptable.” The video was eventually deleted after about 12 hours, with the President blaming a staffer for the post. But the damage was already done.
Studies have shown that the behavior of leaders tends to determine what is normalized in society. Specifically, a 2023 Boston University study found that reported hate crimes against Black people surged following Trump’s initial 2016 election, and white survey respondents began to describe Black people in more dehumanizing ways. In other words, Trump’s bigotry has emboldened people to wear their racism proudly.
Offender #2: The US Men’s Hockey Team (and Donald Trump)
Trump also managed to ruin a historic first in women’s hockey. Laila Edwards made her Olympic hockey debut on February 5 and became the first Black woman to play for Team USA, the first to score a goal, and the first to win Olympic gold in the sport. This feat was overshadowed by the utter disrespect shown by the men’s team and our President. Following the men’s gold medal game, Trump congratulated them, invited them to his State of the Union, and then “joked” that he had to invite the women’s team too or he’d get impeached. This “joke” was then met with hysterical laughter from the locker room. It’s important to note that the women’s team beat the exact same country with the exact same score; the only difference between the two teams is that the women’s team consistently medals. In fact, they have medaled in every single Olympics since the women’s team's inception. They won the very first gold medal in the sport in 1998. The women’s team declined Trump’s “invitation” to the White House, instead choosing to celebrate in Vegas with unlikely feminist Flavor Flav this summer.
Offender #3: KATSEYE
On February 20, KATSEYE announced that its sole black member, Manon Bannerman, would be taking a “temporary hiatus” from the group for her “health and wellbeing.” However, fans noted that Manon had liked a social media post about Black girls in girl groups being subjected to racism and mistreatment. In a recent interview with The Cut, she said that “being called lazy, especially as a Black girl, is not fair. Now I feel like I always need to put in extra work to prove something.” Fans have also pointed out that Manon has been treated differently from the beginning. The group’s first music video, “Debut,” was heavily criticized for keeping Manon mostly hidden in the back and barely visible. The situation has drawn comparisons to Normani (Fifth Harmony) and Leigh-Anne (Little Mix) who have experienced similar mistreatment as the sole Black members of a multiracial girl group.
Offender #4: BAFTAs and BBC
At the BAFTAs, Ryan Coogler became the first Black winner for Best Original Screenplay, but this historic win was overshadowed by a deeply disturbing incident during the ceremony. Tourette syndrome activist, John Davidson, who was the inspiration for a BAFTA-nominated film I Swear, shouted the N-word while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, both from the Sinners cast, were on stage presenting the award for best visual effects. Crucially, the BBC, which aired the ceremony on a two-hour delay, failed to edit out the slur while choosing to edit out other moments, including a presenter saying “Free Palestine” and a homophobic slur shouted by Davidson while the show’s host, Alan Cummings, was on stage. BAFTA and BBC both issued half-assed apologies publicly, but not directly to the actors. Davidson said he felt “a wave of shame” and was “deeply mortified,” and he rightfully questioned why he was seated so close to the microphones when the organization was aware of his tics. Reportedly, the incident left Michael B. Jordan’s parents in tears.
Offender #5: Jonathan Majors
Back in 2023, actor Jonathan Majors was convicted of assault and harassment against his ex, effectively ending his mainstream career. However, on February 26, news broke that he would be teaming up with Ben Shapiro’s The Daily Wire to star in an “anti-woke Sinners” action film. This is not the first abuser The Daily Wire has offered a lifeline to, as the company previously featured Armie Hammer in a film called Frontier Crucible. The Daily Wire and Ben Shapiro are also known for their extremist, white nationalist views. He has railed against the rap genre, even releasing a song that critics called an “exercise in minstrelsy” and cultural appropriation, with lyrics that referenced Black people being “thugs.” He also frequently denies the existence of systemic racism, entirely dismissing the relevance of slavery to present-day Black inequality. In fact, the most successful film by The Daily Wire is Am I Racist?, a mockumentary featuring Matt Walsh, which satirizes DEI and anti-racism work. It grossed $12.3M domestically.
February gave us the first Black woman to win Olympic gold in hockey and a sitting president who depicted the first Black President and First Lady as apes – all in the same week. Ryan Coogler made BAFTA history in the same ceremony where two Black men were subjected to a racial slur on live television. This is a microcosm of the world at large. The more Black people succeed, the more progress that is made, the louder the opposition becomes. The wall of shame is long this February, but so is the list of people they couldn’t stop.