This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an observance that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate functions where African descendants are remunerated to speak with predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The wave has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the Britain, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has evolved since its inception, giving reduced attention to the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the observance is commemorated is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a valuable example in how co-option leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Few things illustrate how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we observed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a legislator feels empowered to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in Europe as a entirety.
In the America, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the country. A drive to scrub Black history and experience from the historical documents is in progress. One of the political figure's early administrative commands focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the celebration illustrates how insufficiently it can be influential if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the realities of the present. It also reveals how its short period means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is required. A university professor, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just discontinue events including Black History Month altogether, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an time that has not worked.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an infrastructure that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not avoid political issues, and provides room for people, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has mere awareness of the past when it fails to address the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Establishments who celebrate it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and awareness of subtle slights, but challenged by the risks that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and responsive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is in order – Black History is Now Month.
