Black History Month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an celebration that began as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has taken on a commercial tone, growing to encompass functions where Black people are compensated to speak with white audiences about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The wave has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has transformed since that time, focusing less on the narratives of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the impact 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 celebration is celebrated is a indication of the political moment. How it develops is a valuable example in how co-option leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how critical it is to rethink Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the summer we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a legislator gains confidence to say that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are growing in Europe as a whole.
In the United States, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A drive to scrub the history of people of color and experience from the archives is ongoing. One of the political figure's first executive orders focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the month illustrates how insufficiently it can be influential if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the conditions of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is needed. An academic expert, a educator at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand actions for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just eliminate things like Black History Month altogether, believing they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an era that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an foundation that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed across all seasons (as various establishments are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not evade political issues, and leaves space for individuals, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What value has simple recognition of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of far-right rallies in the street? Organizations who celebrate it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and awareness of minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and reactive. It could be that an complete renaming is required – Black History is Now Month.
