Black History Month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an celebration that started out as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include events where individuals of African heritage are compensated to speak with predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the Britain, Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since those days, giving reduced attention to the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and increasingly on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the observance is observed is a indication of the current political situation. How it evolves is a valuable example in how co-option leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a legislator gains confidence to state that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a source of worry. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are growing in the EU as a whole.
In the America, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the state. A drive to scrub Black history and narrative from the archives is under way. One of the former president's initial presidential directives aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the observance symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized commemorations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the conditions of the current era. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is required. An academic expert, a prof at an educational institution, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a urge to just eliminate events including Black History Month altogether, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an time that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an foundation that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out through the year (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not evade political issues, and allows opportunity for people, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What value has basic knowledge of the bygone era when it fails to address the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Establishments who mark it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and awareness of “microaggressions”, but confronted with the risks that affect everyone if anti-racism is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and responsive. It could be that an total re-identification is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.
