This commemorative month is a reflection of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include events where African descendants are compensated to talk to predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge 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 raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since its inception, placing less emphasis on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the input 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 celebrated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a instructive case in how co-option leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a legislator feels emboldened to say that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the European continent as a whole.
In the United States, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A drive to erase the history of people of color and experience from the records is under way. One of the former president's first executive orders targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration symbolises how minimally it can be influential if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized celebrations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the situation of the present. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. Denise Miller, a professor at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just do away with things like Black History Month altogether, believing they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an period that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an infrastructure that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not evade politics, and provides room for individuals, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and alertness to “microaggressions”, but faced with the dangers that impact society if anti-racism is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and reactive. Perhaps an total re-identification is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
