Black History Month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an observance that started out as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass events where African descendants are paid to address predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The surge has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Month
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since those days, giving reduced attention to the narratives of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and more on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the celebration is celebrated is a indication of the current political situation. How it develops is a instructive case in how co-option leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels emboldened to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are surging in the European continent as a whole.
In the US, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A drive to scrub African American heritage and experience from the records is under way. One of the political figure's first executive orders focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the month symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content celebrations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the conditions of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at an educational institution, put it best when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just do away with observances such as Black History Month altogether, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an time that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not shy away from politics, and leaves space for individuals, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has simple recognition of the past when it ignores the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Organizations who mark it should not be comforted with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and alertness to subtle slights, but faced with the risks that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. Maybe an complete renaming is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
