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 appears it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an event that began as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has adopted a commercial tone, growing to encompass gatherings where Black people are paid to talk to white audiences about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in February, but also in October in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The month has evolved since that time, focusing less on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and more on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the observance is commemorated is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a valuable example in how co-option leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the current time in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels emboldened to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, far-right parties are growing in the European continent as a whole.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A effort to remove Black history and narrative from the records is in progress. One of the former president'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 rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the celebration illustrates how little it can be influential if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered festivities of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the situation of the current era. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is required. An academic expert, a professor at an educational institution, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just eliminate things like Black History Month altogether, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an period that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an infrastructure that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not avoid politics, and provides room for people, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves mere awareness of the history when it ignores the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Institutions who observe it should not be reassured with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and awareness of subtle slights, but confronted with the threats that face all if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and adaptive. It could be that an total re-identification is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
