Black History Month serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an event that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has taken on a corporate feel, growing to encompass functions where African descendants are remunerated to talk to predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The wave has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in February, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has developed since its inception, focusing less on the narratives of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the month is observed is a indication of the current political situation. How it develops is a good lesson in how co-option leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the current time in which it falls this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the warmer months we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels emboldened to say that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the US, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, often successfully, to the highest courts of the nation. A campaign to remove African American heritage and narrative from the historical documents is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the observance illustrates how insufficiently it can be effective if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content celebrations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the conditions of the current era. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is required. An academic expert, a prof at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just do away with observances such as Black History Month completely, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an period that has not worked.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an framework that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed through the year (as some institutions are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not evade governmental matters, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Organizations who celebrate it should not be pacified with the passive language of hidden discrimination and alertness to minor insults, but faced with the dangers that face all if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and adaptive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
