This commemorative month acts as a gauge 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 rethink. As time has passed, an observance that started out as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has taken on a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate events where Black people are paid to speak with predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The wave has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated 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 multiple days of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in October in the Britain, Deutschland, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has evolved since those days, focusing less on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and greater focus on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the month is commemorated is a indication of the political moment. How it progresses is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how important it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the current time in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the summer we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a elected representative feels empowered to declare that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are growing in Europe as a whole.
In the United States, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the state. A campaign to erase African American heritage and legacy from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the observance symbolises how little it can be influential if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized festivities of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the realities of the current era. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. An academic expert, a professor at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a inclination to just do away with things like Black History Month completely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an time that has not worked.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an foundation that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not evade political issues, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has basic knowledge of the bygone era when it ignores the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Establishments who celebrate it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to subtle slights, but confronted with the risks that face all if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and reactive. Maybe an total re-identification is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
