The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an observance that was initiated as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has taken on a commercial tone, expanding to include events where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to address white audiences about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The wave has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the UK, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has evolved since that time, giving reduced attention to the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the method the month is celebrated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it develops is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Few things illustrate how critical it is to rethink Black History Month better than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, 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 feels emboldened to say that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, far-right parties are expanding in Europe as a complete entity.
In the United States, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, often successfully, to the highest courts of the state. A effort to scrub Black history and narrative from the records is in progress. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the observance represents how little it can be impactful if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the realities of the current era. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. An academic expert, a professor at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a inclination to just discontinue things like Black History Month completely, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an period 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 – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an foundation that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out across all seasons (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not evade governmental matters, and leaves space for citizens, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Organizations who mark it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and awareness of minor insults, but challenged by the threats that affect everyone if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and responsive. Perhaps an total re-identification is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
