Black History Month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an observance that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has developed a commercial tone, growing to encompass gatherings where African descendants are compensated to talk to predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The surge has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Month
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in February, but also in October in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The month has transformed since its inception, focusing less on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the observance is commemorated is a reflection of the political moment. How it progresses is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator gains confidence to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Meanwhile, far-right parties are surging in the EU as a complete entity.
In the America, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A drive to scrub the history of people of color and narrative from the historical documents is under way. One of the former president's first executive orders targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration symbolises how little it can be effective if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content festivities of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the situation of the present. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is required. Denise Miller, a professor at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an period that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an foundation that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not shy away from political issues, and leaves space for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What value has mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of far-right rallies in the street? Organizations who mark it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to subtle slights, but confronted with the dangers that face all if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and adaptive. Perhaps an complete renaming is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
