Black History Month serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an celebration that started out as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass events where African descendants are paid to speak with predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The tide has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in October in the UK, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The period has developed since that time, giving reduced attention to the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and more on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the celebration is observed is a reflection of the political moment. How it evolves is a good lesson in how co-option leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. a prominent political figure, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels emboldened to state that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, far-right parties are surging in the European continent as a whole.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the country. A drive to scrub the history of people of color and narrative from the records is in progress. One of the former president's first executive orders focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the observance illustrates how little it can be effective if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the realities of the current era. It also reveals how its short period means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. An academic expert, a professor 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 commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just discontinue things like Black History Month completely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an era that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an infrastructure that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not avoid political issues, and allows opportunity for people, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What value has mere awareness of the past when it ignores the present reality of far-right rallies in the street? Establishments who mark it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and awareness of subtle slights, but faced with the threats that face all if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and reactive. Maybe an complete renaming is required – Black History is Now Month.
