This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an event that began as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has developed a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include gatherings where African descendants are remunerated to talk to Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The tide has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in the second month, but also in October in the Britain, Deutschland, Éire and the Netherlands.
The period has transformed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the accounts of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the way the observance is commemorated is a reflection of the political moment. How it progresses is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how important it is to rethink Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the summer we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator gains confidence to declare that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the European continent as a entirety.
In the America, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the state. A drive to scrub the history of people of color and narrative from the records is in progress. One of the former president's first executive orders targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the month symbolises how insufficiently it can be effective if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the conditions of the current era. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. An academic expert, a professor at University of Greenwich, put it best when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just discontinue events including Black History Month altogether, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an time that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not avoid politics, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the history when it fails to address the current situation of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Organizations who mark it should not be reassured with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to subtle slights, but confronted with the threats that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and adaptive. Perhaps an complete renaming is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
