This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an celebration that started out as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a corporate feel, growing to encompass events where individuals of African heritage are compensated to talk to Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the US 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 a week of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The month has developed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and greater focus 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 schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the celebration is celebrated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a valuable example in how co-option leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how critical it is to rethink Black History Month better than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a legislator feels emboldened to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are expanding in Europe as a whole.
In the United States, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the country. A effort to scrub Black history and narrative from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the former president's first executive orders focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration represents how little it can be impactful if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the situation of the contemporary world. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. A university professor, a educator at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a urge to just discontinue events including Black History Month completely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an time that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an foundation that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out through the year (as some institutions are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a time that does not avoid politics, and leaves space for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves mere awareness of the past when it fails to address the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the street? Establishments who observe it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and alertness to subtle slights, but challenged by the threats that face all if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and responsive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.