Black History Month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has adopted a corporate feel, expanding to include gatherings where individuals of African heritage are compensated to address predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the United States 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 celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the Britain, Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since that time, giving reduced attention to the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the political moment. How it progresses is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a elected representative gains confidence to declare 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 entirety.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, often successfully, to the highest courts of the country. A effort to remove African American heritage and narrative from the archives is under way. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the celebration represents how minimally it can be effective if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered celebrations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the realities of the current era. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is required. A university professor, a prof at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a urge to just eliminate things like Black History Month entirely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an time that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent 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 vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not shy away from political issues, and leaves space for people, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What value has simple recognition of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Establishments who mark it should not be pacified with the passive language of hidden discrimination and awareness of minor insults, but faced with the threats that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and responsive. Maybe an complete renaming is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
