Black History Month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an event that started out as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass functions where African descendants are remunerated to speak with predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The surge has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the UK, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has transformed since those days, placing less emphasis on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and more on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the observance is celebrated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it evolves is a instructive case in how co-option leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we observed the largest far-right rally in British history. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament gains confidence to say that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are growing in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the US, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the state. A campaign to scrub the history of people of color and legacy from the historical documents is in progress. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the observance represents how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized festivities of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the conditions of the current era. It also shows how its short period means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. Denise Miller, a prof at an educational institution, put it best when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just do away with observances such as Black History Month completely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an time that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an framework that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not evade political issues, and allows opportunity for people, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has mere awareness of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Establishments who celebrate it should not be reassured with the passive language of implicit prejudice and alertness to minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that impact society if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and responsive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
