This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has developed a corporate feel, expanding to include events where individuals of African heritage are paid to speak with white audiences about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in February, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has developed since those days, focusing less on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and increasingly on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the celebration is commemorated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we witnessed the largest far-right rally in British history. 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 position where a elected representative feels emboldened to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the European continent as a whole.
In the US, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the country. A effort to remove the history of people of color and experience from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration symbolises how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the conditions of the present. It also reveals how its short period means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is needed. An academic expert, a educator at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month completely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an era that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an infrastructure that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not avoid governmental matters, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What use is simple recognition of the bygone era when it fails to address the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Institutions who observe it should not be comforted with the passive language of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the threats that impact society if anti-racism is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is required – Black History is Now Month.
