Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an event that started out as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate events where individuals of African heritage are paid to address predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The surge has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in February, but also in autumn in the UK, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has transformed since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the month is celebrated is a reflection of the political moment. How it progresses is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a legislator feels emboldened to state that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are surging in Europe as a whole.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A effort to remove African American heritage and narrative from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the celebration represents how minimally it can be influential if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the conditions of the current era. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. A university professor, a educator at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month altogether, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an time that has failed to deliver.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an foundation that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not shy away from politics, and allows opportunity for people, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What value has mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Institutions who mark it should not be reassured with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that face all if anti-racism is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and adaptive. Maybe an total re-identification is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
