Black History Month is a reflection of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an celebration that began as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has developed a commercial tone, growing to encompass gatherings where African descendants are remunerated to address Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The wave has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, Deutschland, Éire and the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and more on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the month is commemorated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it develops is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how important it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the current time in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we saw the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a legislator gains confidence to state that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, far-right parties are surging in Europe as a complete entity.
In the America, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A campaign to remove the history of people of color and narrative from the archives is under way. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the month illustrates how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered commemorations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the conditions of the current era. It also reveals how its short period means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. An academic expert, a prof at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just do away with observances such as Black History Month altogether, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an period that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an foundation that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not shy away from political issues, and allows opportunity for people, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves simple recognition of the bygone era when it ignores the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Institutions who observe it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and alertness to minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that impact society if anti-racism is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and reactive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
