Black History Month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an observance that began as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include functions where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to talk to Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The surge has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the UK, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has transformed since those days, giving reduced attention to the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and more on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the month is commemorated is a indication of the current political situation. How it evolves is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels emboldened to declare that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in Europe as a complete entity.
In the United States, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the country. A campaign to scrub the history of people of color and legacy from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be effective if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the conditions of the current era. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. An academic expert, a educator at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an time that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an framework that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) included in educational programs. It would also be a time that does not avoid governmental matters, and provides room for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What use is simple recognition of the history when it fails to address the present reality of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Institutions who mark it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and awareness of “microaggressions”, but faced with the dangers that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and responsive. It could be that an total re-identification is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
