The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an event that started out as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a corporate feel, growing to encompass gatherings where Black people are remunerated to speak with Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The wave has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in October in the UK, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has developed since those days, placing less emphasis on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and greater focus on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the method the month is commemorated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it develops is a valuable example in how co-option leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the current time in which it falls this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the warmer months we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator gains confidence to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the EU as a whole.
In the America, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, often successfully, to the highest courts of the state. A campaign to remove Black history and legacy from the archives is ongoing. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the observance represents how little it can be influential if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the realities of the present. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is required. A university professor, a professor at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a inclination to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an period that has not worked.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an framework that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out across all seasons (as some institutions are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in educational programs. It would also be a time that does not shy away from politics, and leaves space for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has mere awareness of the history when it ignores the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Institutions who observe it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to subtle slights, but confronted with the risks that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and responsive. Perhaps an total re-identification is in order – Black History is Now Month.
