This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an event that started out as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass events where Black people are remunerated to speak with Caucasian groups about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The wave has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in February, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The month has developed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and increasingly 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 educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the method the month is observed is a reflection of the current political situation. How it develops is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the warmer months we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a legislator gains confidence to say that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a reason for concern. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the EU as a complete entity.
In the United States, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A drive to erase Black history and legacy from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the month represents how little it can be influential if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content festivities of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the conditions of the contemporary world. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a educator at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just do away with things like Black History Month entirely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an era that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an framework that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not avoid political issues, and provides room for individuals, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has simple recognition of the bygone era when it fails to address the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the street? Establishments who mark it should not be reassured with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and awareness of “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that impact society if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and responsive. Perhaps an complete renaming is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
