The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an event that began as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has developed a commercial tone, expanding to include functions where Black people are compensated to speak with predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The surge has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Deutschland, Éire and the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since its inception, focusing less on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and increasingly on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the month is commemorated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it progresses is a instructive case in how co-option leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the warmer months we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament gains confidence to say that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the EU as a entirety.
In the US, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the country. A campaign to scrub the history of people of color and experience from the archives is in progress. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the month represents how minimally it can be influential if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered festivities of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the conditions of the current era. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a prof at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month completely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an era that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an foundation that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not evade governmental matters, and provides room for citizens, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What use is mere awareness of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Institutions who observe it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and adaptive. Perhaps an complete renaming is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
