Black History Month is a reflection of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an event that started out as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include functions where individuals of African heritage are compensated to talk to Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since that time, placing less emphasis on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the method the celebration is observed is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels empowered to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in Europe as a entirety.
In the United States, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, often successfully, to the highest courts of the country. A effort to erase Black history and legacy from the records is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the observance symbolises how minimally it can be effective if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the situation of the present. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is required. Denise Miller, a educator at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just eliminate events including Black History Month entirely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an time that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an foundation that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
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 spread out throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not avoid politics, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of far-right rallies in the street? Institutions who celebrate it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and awareness of “microaggressions”, but challenged by the risks that impact society if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
