This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. 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 adopted a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate events where individuals of African heritage are compensated to talk to Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The observance has developed since that time, placing less emphasis on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the political moment. How it evolves is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how important it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the current time in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the recent season we observed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels empowered to state that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are surging in Europe as a entirety.
In the United States, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the nation. A effort to remove Black history and experience from the historical documents is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the situation of the present. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is needed. An academic expert, a professor at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just do away with events including Black History Month completely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an era 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, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an foundation that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed across all seasons (as some institutions are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) included in educational programs. It would also be a era that does not evade political issues, and provides room for citizens, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves mere awareness of the history when it fails to address the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the street? Establishments who observe it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and awareness of “microaggressions”, but faced with the dangers that impact society if anti-racism is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and responsive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
