Black History Month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate events where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to address white audiences about hidden biases and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the United States 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 commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of 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 autumn in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has developed since that time, focusing less on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the month is celebrated is a indication of the current political situation. How it progresses is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how important it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the current time in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels empowered to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are surging in the EU as a complete entity.
In the United States, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A effort to erase African American heritage and legacy from the archives is in progress. One of the political figure's first executive orders targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the observance illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the conditions of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. A university professor, a prof at University of Greenwich, put it best when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just do away with things like Black History Month altogether, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an era that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an foundation that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed through the year (as some institutions are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not evade political issues, and provides room for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What use is simple recognition of the bygone era when it ignores the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Institutions who mark it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to subtle slights, but confronted with the dangers that impact society if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and reactive. Perhaps an complete renaming is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.