This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an event that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has developed a commercial tone, expanding to include gatherings where African descendants are remunerated to talk to white audiences about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Deutschland, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and more on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the celebration is commemorated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it progresses is a instructive case in how co-option leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month more than the current time in which it falls this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we saw the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a legislator feels emboldened to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a source of worry. Meanwhile, far-right parties are growing in the European continent as a whole.
In the United States, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the country. A drive to scrub Black history and legacy from the historical documents is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the celebration represents how little it can be effective if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the conditions of the present. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. A university professor, a educator at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just discontinue things like Black History Month entirely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an period that has failed to deliver.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an foundation that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in educational programs. It would also be a period that does not evade political issues, and provides room for citizens, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves simple recognition of the past when it ignores the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Institutions who mark it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the risks that impact society if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and adaptive. Perhaps an complete renaming is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
