Black History Month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an observance that started out as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has developed a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate gatherings where African descendants are paid to speak with Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The tide has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in February, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Deutschland, Ireland and the Holland.
The period has evolved since those days, focusing less on the narratives of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the observance is observed is a manifestation of the political moment. How it evolves is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels empowered to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Simultaneously, far-right parties are surging in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the US, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the state. A drive to erase the history of people of color and legacy from the historical documents is in progress. One of the political figure's first executive orders aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the celebration illustrates how little it can be impactful if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the realities of the contemporary world. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is required. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just eliminate events including Black History Month completely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an era that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an framework that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed through the year (as various establishments are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not evade politics, and provides room for individuals, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has basic knowledge of the bygone era when it ignores the current situation of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who observe it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and alertness to subtle slights, but challenged by the threats that impact society if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and responsive. It could be that an complete renaming is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
