The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the current political climate, 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 rethink. Over the years, an event that started out as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include functions where individuals of African heritage are paid to speak with Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The surge has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the UK, Deutschland, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and greater focus on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the celebration is commemorated is a indication of the current political situation. How it develops is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the current time in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we observed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels emboldened to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a source of worry. Meanwhile, far-right parties are surging in the EU as a whole.
In the America, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A campaign to erase African American heritage and narrative from the archives is ongoing. One of the political figure's early administrative commands focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the month symbolises how little it can be impactful if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized celebrations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the realities of the contemporary world. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. A university professor, a prof at a learning establishment, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just eliminate things like Black History Month altogether, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an era that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an foundation that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not avoid governmental matters, and provides room for individuals, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What value has simple recognition of the past when it ignores the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Organizations who celebrate it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and alertness to subtle slights, but faced with the threats that face all if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and responsive. It could be that an total re-identification is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
