This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an celebration that started out as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has developed a commercial tone, expanding to include events where African descendants are compensated to talk to predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The surge has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the Britain, Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The month has developed since those days, focusing less on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the observance is commemorated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a instructive case in how co-option leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels empowered to state that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a source of worry. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are expanding in the EU as a entirety.
In the US, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A drive to remove African American heritage and legacy from the historical documents is under way. One of the former president's first executive orders targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the observance represents how minimally it can be impactful if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered celebrations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the conditions of the present. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. A university professor, a educator at an educational institution, put it best when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a inclination to just eliminate things like Black History Month completely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an time that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an foundation that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not shy away from governmental matters, and leaves space for people, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the history when it ignores the present reality of far-right rallies in the street? Organizations who mark it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and alertness to minor insults, but challenged by the threats that face all if anti-racism is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
