This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an celebration that began as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include events where Black people are remunerated to speak with Caucasian groups about hidden biases and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the UK, Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The month has evolved since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the observance is commemorated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it evolves is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we observed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a legislator feels emboldened to state that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a reason for concern. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the America, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A campaign to erase African American heritage and experience from the records is in progress. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the conditions of the present. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a educator at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand actions for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an time that has failed to deliver.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an foundation that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a time that does not shy away from governmental matters, and leaves space for people, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What value has mere awareness of the past when it fails to address the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Organizations who observe it should not be reassured with the passive language of implicit prejudice and alertness to subtle slights, but faced with the risks that face all if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and reactive. It could be that an complete renaming is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
