Black History Month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an celebration that started out as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has developed a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate events where Black people are remunerated to talk to white audiences about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in February, but also in October in the Britain, Deutschland, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the accounts of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and more on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the method the observance is commemorated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a instructive case in how co-option leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the current time in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the summer we saw the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a elected representative gains confidence to state that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are growing in Europe as a whole.
In the America, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the country. A effort to remove the history of people of color and legacy from the records is under way. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the celebration represents how minimally it can be impactful if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the realities of the current era. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. Denise Miller, a prof at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, believing they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an period that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an framework that a lot of work has been invested in. 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 contemporary active Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed across all seasons (as various establishments are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into school curriculums. 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 basic knowledge of the history when it ignores the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Organizations who mark it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to subtle slights, but confronted with the risks that affect everyone if anti-racism is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and reactive. Perhaps an total re-identification is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.
