This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an celebration that started out as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include events where Black people are remunerated to speak with predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the United States 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 seven days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in October in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has transformed since those days, focusing less on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and more on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the impact 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 commemorated is a reflection of the political moment. How it develops is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to address 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 occurs this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the warmer months we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a elected representative feels emboldened to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are growing in Europe as a complete entity.
In the United States, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, often successfully, to the highest courts of the country. A effort to erase Black history and legacy from the historical documents is under way. One of the political figure's early administrative commands targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the observance symbolises how little it can be effective if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content celebrations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the realities of the current era. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. An academic expert, a professor at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden actions for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just eliminate things like Black History Month completely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an time that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an framework that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not evade politics, and provides room for individuals, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves simple recognition of the bygone era when it ignores the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and awareness of subtle slights, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if anti-racism is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and adaptive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
