Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an observance that was initiated as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass functions where individuals of African heritage are paid to address predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has transformed since those days, focusing less on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the month is observed is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it evolves is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how important it is to rethink Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the recent season we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a member of parliament gains confidence to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, far-right parties are growing in Europe as a entirety.
In the United States, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A drive to erase Black history and experience from the archives is ongoing. One of the political figure's first executive orders aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the month symbolises how little it can be impactful if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the realities of the current era. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a urge to just do away with observances such as Black History Month altogether, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an period that has failed to deliver.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an infrastructure that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed across all seasons (as various establishments are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not shy away from political issues, and leaves space for people, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is mere awareness of the history when it fails to address the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the street? Institutions who mark it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to subtle slights, but challenged by the threats that impact society if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and responsive. It could be that an complete renaming is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
