The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an observance that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include gatherings where African descendants are compensated to address predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The tide has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has transformed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and more on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the method the celebration is observed is a reflection of the current political situation. How it develops is a good lesson in how co-option leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how important it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a legislator feels empowered to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the EU as a whole.
In the United States, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the country. A drive to remove Black history and narrative from the historical documents is in progress. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the observance illustrates how minimally it can be influential if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered commemorations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the conditions of the current era. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. Denise Miller, a professor at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to alter, change and broaden actions for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a inclination to just eliminate events including Black History Month entirely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an period that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an infrastructure that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed through the year (as some institutions are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and provides room for citizens, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What use is simple recognition of the history when it ignores the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Institutions who observe it should not be reassured with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to minor insults, but challenged by the threats that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and adaptive. Perhaps an total re-identification is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
