The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an event that began as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has taken on a commercial tone, growing to encompass events where Black people are paid to speak with Caucasian groups about hidden biases and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in winter, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The month has developed since its inception, focusing less on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the month is observed is a manifestation of the political moment. How it develops is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the summer we witnessed the largest far-right rally in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a elected representative gains confidence to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in Europe as a whole.
In the US, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, often successfully, to the highest courts of the country. A drive to scrub the history of people of color and legacy from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the celebration symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered 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 separated from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. Denise Miller, a prof at a learning establishment, put it best when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a inclination to just discontinue events including Black History Month altogether, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an time that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an framework that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed across all seasons (as various establishments are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not avoid politics, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What use is basic knowledge of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Institutions who celebrate it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and alertness to minor insults, but challenged by the dangers that face all if anti-racism is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and responsive. Maybe an complete renaming is required – Black History is Now Month.
