This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an celebration that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate gatherings where Black people are paid to speak with Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The tide has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in February, but also in October in the UK, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since that time, giving reduced attention to the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and increasingly on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the observance is observed is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it evolves is a instructive case in how co-option leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the summer we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels empowered to say that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are expanding in the European continent as a entirety.
In the United States, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A effort to remove African American heritage and narrative from the archives is in progress. One of the former president's initial presidential directives focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration symbolises how minimally it can be impactful if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the conditions of the current era. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is required. An academic expert, a educator at an educational institution, put it best when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to alter, change and broaden actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just do away with events including Black History Month completely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an era that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an infrastructure that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not just to decay 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? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed through the year (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What value has mere awareness of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Organizations who observe it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but faced with the dangers that face all if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and reactive. Maybe an total re-identification is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
