Black History Month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an event that started out as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate gatherings where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to address white audiences about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has developed since those days, focusing less on the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the month is celebrated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a instructive case in how co-option leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month better than the current time in which it falls this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the summer we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a elected representative gains confidence to declare that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the United States, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the country. A drive to scrub the history of people of color and legacy from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the former president's early administrative commands focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration symbolises how insufficiently it can be influential if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the realities of the contemporary world. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. Denise Miller, a prof at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just eliminate events including Black History Month completely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an era that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an infrastructure that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out across all seasons (as certain organizations are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not evade governmental matters, and provides room for people, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is simple recognition of the history when it ignores the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Establishments who observe it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that impact society if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and reactive. Perhaps an complete renaming is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
