This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an event that began as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has developed a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate functions where African descendants are compensated to talk to Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The tide has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has developed since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, 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 discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the observance is celebrated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it evolves is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the current time in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we observed the largest far-right rally in British history. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a elected representative gains confidence to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are expanding in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the United States, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A drive to erase Black history and narrative from the historical documents is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the month represents how little it can be impactful if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered festivities of historical achievements, rather than challenging the conditions of the present. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. Denise Miller, a educator at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a inclination to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month entirely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an time that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an framework that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out across all seasons (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a time that does not shy away from political issues, and leaves space for citizens, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is basic knowledge of the history when it fails to address the present reality of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Establishments who celebrate it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and alertness to subtle slights, but faced with the risks that impact society if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and adaptive. Maybe an total re-identification is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
