Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an celebration that began as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has adopted a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate functions where individuals of African heritage are paid to talk to Caucasian groups about hidden biases and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The tide has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Month
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the celebration is observed is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a good lesson in how co-option leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the summer we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels emboldened to state that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. At the same time, far-right parties are surging in the EU as a entirety.
In the America, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A effort to erase African American heritage and narrative from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the month symbolises how minimally it can be effective if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized festivities of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the conditions of the present. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is needed. Denise Miller, a educator at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month completely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an period that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not avoid governmental matters, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has basic knowledge of the history when it ignores the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Organizations who celebrate it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and awareness of “microaggressions”, but confronted with the risks that impact society if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and adaptive. Maybe an complete renaming is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.
