The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an observance that started out as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has adopted a corporate feel, expanding to include events where Black people are paid to talk to white audiences about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The tide has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The month has developed since those days, focusing less on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and more on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the input 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 way the observance is commemorated is a indication of the current political situation. How it develops is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Few things illustrate how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the current time in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the warmer months we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels empowered to state that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, far-right parties are growing in Europe as a complete entity.
In the US, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A effort to remove Black history and narrative from the records is in progress. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the month illustrates how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content commemorations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the situation of the current era. It also shows how its short period means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is needed. Denise Miller, a prof at an educational institution, put it best when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden actions for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just do away with events including Black History Month entirely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an era that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an foundation that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out through the year (as various establishments are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not avoid political issues, and provides room for people, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves simple recognition of the bygone era when it fails to address the present reality of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Organizations who celebrate it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to minor insults, but faced with the threats that affect everyone if anti-racism is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and reactive. Perhaps an complete renaming is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
