Black History Month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an event that was initiated as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has taken on a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate events where African descendants are compensated to talk to predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The surge has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” 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 campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Deutschland, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has transformed since that time, placing less emphasis on the accounts of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the observance is celebrated is a indication of the political moment. How it develops is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month more than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels empowered to state that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in Europe as a entirety.
In the United States, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the nation. A campaign to erase the history of people of color and legacy from the archives is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the observance represents how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized festivities of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the conditions of the present. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. Denise Miller, a educator at an educational institution, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just discontinue events including Black History Month entirely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an era that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an foundation that a significant effort 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 fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed through the year (as various establishments are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not avoid politics, and leaves space for people, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the history when it fails to address the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Organizations who celebrate it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and awareness of subtle slights, but challenged by the dangers that impact society if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and reactive. Perhaps an complete renaming is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
