This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an event that started out as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate gatherings where Black people are compensated to address white audiences about hidden biases and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has transformed since that time, giving reduced attention to the histories of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and more on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the month is observed is a manifestation of the political moment. How it develops is a valuable example in how co-option leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a legislator feels empowered to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, far-right parties are expanding in the EU as a complete entity.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A drive to remove the history of people of color and legacy from the archives is in progress. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the celebration represents how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the conditions of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. An academic expert, a educator at a learning establishment, put it best when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just do away with events including Black History Month altogether, believing they are no longer suitable, or are remnants 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 campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an framework that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out through the year (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and leaves space for people, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves simple recognition of the history when it fails to address the present reality of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Organizations who celebrate it should not be comforted with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and alertness to minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and reactive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
