Black History Month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an observance that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate events where African descendants are remunerated to speak with predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The surge has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in winter, but also in October in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the histories of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and more on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the celebration is commemorated is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the current time in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the recent season we saw the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels emboldened to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are surging in the European continent as a entirety.
In the America, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A effort to erase African American heritage and experience from the archives is ongoing. One of the former president's early administrative commands aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the month symbolises how insufficiently it can be influential if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the conditions of the current era. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. Denise Miller, a educator at a learning establishment, put it best when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month altogether, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an time that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an foundation that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out through the year (as some institutions are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the history when it ignores the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Organizations who celebrate it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and awareness of “microaggressions”, but faced with the risks that face all if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and responsive. Perhaps an total re-identification is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
