Black History Month serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an event that started out as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, expanding to include gatherings where individuals of African heritage are compensated to speak with Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in winter, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The month has evolved since those days, focusing less on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the month is celebrated is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a instructive case in how co-option leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we saw the largest far-right rally in British history. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels emboldened to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, far-right parties are growing in Europe as a entirety.
In the America, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the country. A drive to remove the history of people of color and experience from the records is in progress. One of the former president's first executive orders targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the month symbolises how minimally it can be influential if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered celebrations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the conditions of the contemporary world. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is required. An academic expert, a educator at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a urge to just do away with events including Black History Month entirely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an time that has failed to deliver.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an framework that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) included in educational programs. It would also be a era that does not avoid political issues, and allows opportunity for people, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves mere awareness of the history when it fails to address the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Organizations who celebrate it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and alertness to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if anti-racism is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and reactive. Perhaps an total re-identification is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
