Black History Month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an observance that started out as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has developed a commercial tone, expanding to include gatherings where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to address Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The surge has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The period has transformed since that time, focusing less on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the way the month is observed is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how important it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the recent season we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels emboldened to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a source of worry. At the same time, far-right parties are expanding in the EU as a whole.
In the United States, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, often successfully, to the highest courts of the nation. A campaign to remove African American heritage and narrative from the historical documents is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the observance illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the conditions of the contemporary world. It also shows how its short period means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. An academic expert, a prof at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just eliminate events including Black History Month entirely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an time that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an infrastructure that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out through the year (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not avoid political issues, and leaves space for people, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has simple recognition of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Organizations who observe it should not be pacified with the passive language of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the threats that face all if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
