Black History Month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an celebration that began as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include gatherings where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to speak with white audiences about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The wave has peaked, 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 created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the Britain, Deutschland, Éire and the Holland.
The observance has evolved since those days, giving reduced attention to the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the celebration is commemorated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a good lesson in how co-option leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Few things illustrate how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels empowered to say that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. At the same time, far-right parties are growing in the EU as a whole.
In the America, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the nation. A campaign to remove Black history and narrative from the archives is under way. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the observance illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the realities of the contemporary world. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is required. An academic expert, a educator at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend actions for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a inclination to just eliminate events including Black History Month completely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an era that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an foundation that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed across all seasons (as various establishments are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and provides room for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has simple recognition of the history when it fails to address the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Establishments who observe it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the threats that face all if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and adaptive. Perhaps an complete renaming is in order – Black History is Now Month.
