Black History Month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an observance that began as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has developed a corporate feel, growing to encompass gatherings where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to speak with white audiences about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has developed since that time, focusing less on the narratives of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and increasingly on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the month is observed is a manifestation of the political moment. How it progresses is a good lesson in how co-option leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the summer we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a member of parliament gains confidence to say that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in Europe as a whole.
In the US, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A campaign to scrub Black history and experience from the records is in progress. One of the political figure's early administrative commands targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be effective if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the situation of the current era. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is required. An academic expert, a professor at a learning establishment, put it best when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to alter, change and broaden efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a inclination to just do away with events including Black History Month altogether, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an period that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an framework that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed through the year (as various establishments are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in educational programs. It would also be a era that does not avoid governmental matters, and leaves space for people, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What value has simple recognition 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 non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but faced with the threats that affect everyone if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and adaptive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.
