Black History Month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an event that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include events where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to speak with Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has developed since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and more on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the month is commemorated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it progresses is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how critical it is to rethink Black History Month more than the current time in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the warmer months we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, 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 position where a elected representative feels empowered to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are surging in the EU as a whole.
In the America, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A campaign to erase African American heritage and legacy from the records is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the observance illustrates how insufficiently it can be influential if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the situation of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its short period means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is required. An academic expert, a professor at University of Greenwich, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just eliminate events including Black History Month completely, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an period that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an foundation that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out through the year (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not avoid politics, and leaves space for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the past when it ignores the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Institutions who observe it should not be reassured with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to subtle slights, but faced with the risks that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and reactive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
