Black History Month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an observance that began as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include functions where Black people are compensated to speak with predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The tide has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The month has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the observance is commemorated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a valuable example in how co-option leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a elected representative feels empowered to say that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, far-right parties are surging in Europe as a entirety.
In the United States, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A campaign to scrub African American heritage and experience from the records is in progress. One of the former president's initial presidential directives focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the month illustrates how little it can be effective if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the situation of the contemporary world. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is required. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a inclination to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month entirely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an era that has failed to deliver.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an infrastructure that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not shy away from governmental matters, and provides room for people, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What use is mere awareness of the bygone era when it fails to address the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Institutions who observe it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and alertness to “microaggressions”, but faced with the dangers that face all if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and responsive. Maybe an total re-identification is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
