Black History Month is a reflection of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an event that started out as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass events where African descendants are remunerated to address predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The tide has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The period has transformed since that time, giving reduced attention to the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the celebration is celebrated is a reflection of the political moment. How it progresses is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how critical it is to rethink 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 guise of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we saw the largest far-right rally in British history. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels empowered to say that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are surging in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the United States, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A drive to scrub Black history and legacy from the archives is ongoing. One of the former president's initial presidential directives aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the month represents how little it can be influential if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content festivities of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the conditions of the current era. It also shows how its short period means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. An academic expert, a professor at a learning establishment, put it best when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a urge to just do away with things like Black History Month completely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an era that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed through the year (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not avoid governmental matters, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What use is simple recognition of the bygone era when it fails to address the present reality of far-right rallies in the street? Institutions who observe it should not be pacified with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and alertness to subtle slights, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and responsive. Perhaps an total re-identification is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
