Black History Month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an celebration that started out as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a corporate feel, growing to encompass gatherings where Black people are remunerated to talk to predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the UK, Deutschland, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since that time, placing less emphasis on the histories of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and more on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the month is celebrated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the warmer months we observed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a elected representative feels emboldened to state that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the EU as a entirety.
In the United States, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the nation. A drive to erase Black history and experience from the records is in progress. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the observance represents how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the situation of the current era. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is needed. Denise Miller, a educator at University of Greenwich, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand actions for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just eliminate things like Black History Month altogether, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an period that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, 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 – form an foundation that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) included in educational programs. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and provides room for individuals, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves mere awareness of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Organizations who mark it should not be comforted with the passive language of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. Perhaps an complete renaming is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
