This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an observance that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has developed a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate events where Black people are paid to talk to Caucasian groups about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The wave has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding 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 an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in winter, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Germany, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since its inception, placing less emphasis on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
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 United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a legislator gains confidence to state that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. At the same time, far-right parties are growing in Europe as a complete entity.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the nation. A drive to scrub the history of people of color and experience from the records is in progress. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the month represents how little it can be effective if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content festivities of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the conditions of the present. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is needed. Denise Miller, a educator at an educational institution, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to alter, change and broaden actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an period that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an foundation that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out across all seasons (as some institutions are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) included in educational programs. It would also be a era that does not evade political issues, and allows opportunity for people, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be comforted with the passive language of implicit prejudice and awareness of “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that face all if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and reactive. Maybe an total re-identification is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
