Black History Month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an celebration that started out as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate events where Black people are compensated to talk to white audiences about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The surge has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Originally observed 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 remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The period has evolved since its inception, giving reduced attention to the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the way the observance is commemorated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it progresses is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator gains confidence to say that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a source of worry. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are expanding in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the America, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the state. A effort to erase Black history and legacy from the historical documents is under way. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the observance represents how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered commemorations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the realities of the present. It also reveals how its short period means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. A university professor, a professor at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a urge to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an time that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an foundation that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as various establishments are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a time that does not avoid political issues, and provides room for citizens, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has simple recognition of the bygone era when it ignores the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Institutions who mark it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and alertness to minor insults, but faced with the threats that face all if anti-racism is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and reactive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
