Black History Month serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an event that began as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate functions where African descendants are paid to address Caucasian groups about hidden biases and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The tide has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Month
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in February, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has evolved since that time, placing less emphasis on the accounts of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the month is commemorated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the current time in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a elected representative gains confidence to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. At the same time, far-right parties are surging in the EU as a complete entity.
In the US, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the country. A campaign to erase African American heritage and legacy from the records is under way. One of the political figure's first executive orders aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration symbolises how minimally it can be effective if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized festivities of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the conditions of the current era. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. An academic expert, a prof at an educational institution, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a inclination to just eliminate things like Black History Month completely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an period that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an infrastructure that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not evade politics, and allows opportunity for people, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves simple recognition of the history when it fails to address the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Establishments who mark it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and awareness of “microaggressions”, but challenged by the risks that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and responsive. It could be that an total re-identification is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
