The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an celebration that started out as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a commercial tone, expanding to include functions where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to speak with Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The surge has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Month
First commemorated in the United States 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 a week of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the histories of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and increasingly on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the way the observance is observed is a reflection of the political moment. How it evolves is a valuable example in how co-option leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the summer we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels emboldened to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in Europe as a whole.
In the United States, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A drive to erase African American heritage and narrative from the historical documents is under way. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the celebration symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content festivities of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the situation of the present. It also reveals how its short period means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is required. An academic expert, a professor at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just do away with things like Black History Month completely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an time that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an foundation that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out through the year (as various establishments are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not evade governmental matters, and leaves space for people, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves simple recognition of the past when it ignores the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the street? Institutions who mark it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that face all if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is in order – Black History is Now Month.
