Black History Month serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an event that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has developed a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate gatherings where Black people are remunerated to speak with white audiences about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has evolved since its inception, focusing less on the narratives of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and more on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the celebration is commemorated is a indication of the political moment. How it evolves is a valuable example in how co-option leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the summer we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels emboldened to say that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in Europe as a complete entity.
In the United States, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the country. A effort to scrub African American heritage and legacy from the archives is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the celebration symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content festivities of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the situation of the present. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. A university professor, a educator at a learning establishment, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month completely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an time that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, 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 indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an foundation that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not evade governmental matters, and leaves space for people, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves simple recognition of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of far-right rallies in the street? Institutions who celebrate it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and awareness of minor insults, but confronted with the risks that face all if anti-racism is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
