Black History Month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an celebration that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a corporate feel, growing to encompass events where African descendants are paid to speak with Caucasian groups about hidden biases and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The tide has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” 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 campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The observance has developed since that time, giving reduced attention to the histories of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, 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 lectures and artistic activities. But the way the month is observed is a indication of the current political situation. How it develops is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the summer we witnessed the largest far-right rally in British history. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a legislator feels emboldened to state that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are surging in the EU as a complete entity.
In the America, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the country. A drive to scrub African American heritage and narrative from the records is in progress. One of the former president's early administrative commands aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the month represents how minimally it can be impactful if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered festivities of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the conditions of the present. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is required. A university professor, a educator at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden actions for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just discontinue things like Black History Month altogether, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an era that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an infrastructure that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not just to decay 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? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out across all seasons (as various establishments are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not evade political issues, and leaves space for people, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What use is simple recognition of the past when it ignores the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Establishments who celebrate it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and awareness of “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that face all if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and adaptive. It could be that an complete renaming is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
