This commemorative month is a reflection of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an observance that started out as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include functions where African descendants are compensated to speak with Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in October in the UK, Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The month has transformed since that time, focusing less on the narratives of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the observance is celebrated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how important it is to rethink Black History Month more than the current time in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels empowered to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. At the same time, far-right parties are expanding in the European continent as a whole.
In the America, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the state. A drive to remove the history of people of color and narrative from the historical documents is under way. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the month symbolises how little it can be impactful if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized celebrations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the situation of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its short period means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is needed. An academic expert, a prof at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just eliminate things like Black History Month completely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an time that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an framework that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not avoid politics, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is simple recognition of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Organizations who mark it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and alertness to minor insults, but challenged by the dangers that face all if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and adaptive. Maybe an complete renaming is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
