Black History Month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an event that started out as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, growing to encompass functions where African descendants are compensated to address predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The tide has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The Origins of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has transformed since those days, focusing less on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and more on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the political moment. How it develops is a good lesson in how co-option leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we witnessed the largest far-right rally in British history. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels empowered to declare that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, far-right parties are growing in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the US, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the country. A campaign to scrub African American heritage and legacy from the historical documents is under way. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the month represents how little it can be effective if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content festivities of historical achievements, rather than addressing the situation of the current era. It also shows how its short period means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. A university professor, a professor at a learning establishment, put it best when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend actions for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month entirely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an era that has not worked.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an framework that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not avoid governmental matters, and leaves space for individuals, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What use is simple recognition of the history when it ignores the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the street? Institutions who observe it should not be comforted with the passive language of hidden discrimination and awareness of “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and responsive. It could be that an total re-identification is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
