Black History Month serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an celebration that began as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has adopted a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate functions where African descendants are remunerated to address predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in winter, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The month has developed since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and greater focus on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the celebration is commemorated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it evolves is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the summer we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a legislator gains confidence to state that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, far-right parties are expanding in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the United States, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A effort to erase the history of people of color and legacy from the records is ongoing. One of the political figure's early administrative commands focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the observance illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the realities of the current era. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is required. An academic expert, a prof at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month completely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an time that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an framework that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed across all seasons (as various establishments are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not shy away from political issues, and leaves space for people, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has simple recognition of the past when it fails to address the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Establishments who observe it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and awareness of “microaggressions”, but challenged by the risks that impact society if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
