Black History Month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an observance that started out as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has developed a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate functions where African descendants are remunerated to talk to Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The wave has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the UK, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has transformed since those days, placing less emphasis on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the month is commemorated is a reflection of the political moment. How it develops is a good lesson in how co-option leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the summer we observed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels emboldened to state that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a reason for concern. At the same time, far-right parties are surging in Europe as a complete entity.
In the US, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A drive to scrub African American heritage and legacy from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the political figure's first executive orders aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the celebration symbolises how little it can be impactful if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the realities of the present. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is required. A university professor, a prof at University of Greenwich, put it best when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month completely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an era that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an foundation that a lot of work has been invested in. 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 look like? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not evade politics, and allows opportunity for people, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What value has simple recognition of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that face all if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and reactive. Perhaps an total re-identification is in order – Black History is Now Month.
