Black History Month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an observance that started out as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has developed a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include events where Black people are paid to address Caucasian groups about hidden biases and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The tide has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign 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 UK, Deutschland, Éire and the Holland.
The observance has developed since those days, giving reduced attention to the histories of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and more on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the celebration is commemorated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it develops is a valuable example in how co-option leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the summer we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a member of parliament gains confidence to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are surging in the EU as a whole.
In the America, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A drive to erase the history of people of color and experience from the archives is in progress. One of the former president's early administrative commands targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the celebration illustrates how insufficiently it can be influential if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered festivities of historical achievements, rather than challenging the realities of the current era. It also reveals how its short period means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. Denise Miller, a prof at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just do away with events including Black History Month entirely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an time that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an infrastructure that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not avoid governmental matters, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves simple recognition of the history when it ignores the present reality of far-right rallies in the street? Establishments who observe it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and alertness to minor insults, but confronted with the threats that face all if anti-racism is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and responsive. Perhaps an total re-identification is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
