This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an observance that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has developed a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate events where Black people are remunerated to speak with white audiences about hidden biases and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The period has developed since that time, giving reduced attention to the histories of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the way the celebration is commemorated is a indication of the political moment. How it evolves is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to rethink Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels emboldened to state that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the European continent as a whole.
In the United States, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the state. A campaign to scrub Black history and legacy from the records is in progress. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the observance represents how insufficiently it can be influential if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the situation of the contemporary world. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is needed. Denise Miller, a prof at University of Greenwich, put it best when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just eliminate things like Black History Month altogether, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an time that has not worked.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed across all seasons (as some institutions are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not shy away from politics, and provides room for individuals, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is basic knowledge of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Organizations who observe it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to subtle slights, but faced with the threats that face all if anti-racism is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and responsive. Perhaps an total re-identification is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
