Black History Month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an event that started out as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has developed a corporate feel, growing to encompass functions where African descendants are compensated to address white audiences about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The tide has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in October in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has evolved since those days, focusing less on the histories of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and more on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the month is commemorated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the warmer months we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a elected representative gains confidence to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are expanding in Europe as a whole.
In the US, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A campaign to remove the history of people of color and narrative from the archives is ongoing. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the observance represents how minimally it can be influential if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered celebrations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the conditions of the contemporary world. It also shows how its short period means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. A university professor, a professor at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just do away with observances such as Black History Month completely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an era that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an framework that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not shy away from governmental matters, and allows opportunity for people, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is simple recognition of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Establishments who celebrate it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to subtle slights, but challenged by the dangers that affect everyone if anti-racism is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and reactive. Maybe an complete renaming is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
