Black History Month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an observance that was initiated as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has developed a corporate feel, expanding to include functions where African descendants are remunerated to address predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The wave has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the UK, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has developed since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the observance is observed is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how important it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a member of parliament gains confidence to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the EU as a whole.
In the US, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A campaign to erase African American heritage and experience from the archives is ongoing. One of the former president's initial presidential directives aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the celebration symbolises how minimally it can be influential if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content commemorations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the realities of the present. It also shows how its short period means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is required. A university professor, a professor at a learning establishment, put it best when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just eliminate things like Black History Month completely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an time that has failed to deliver.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an foundation that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed through the year (as some institutions are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a time that does not evade political issues, and provides room for individuals, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What use is simple recognition of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who mark it should not be pacified with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and alertness to subtle slights, but challenged by the threats that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and responsive. Perhaps an complete renaming is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.
