Black History Month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an observance that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has taken on a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate gatherings where Black people are paid to speak with white audiences about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The wave has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the UK, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has transformed since those days, focusing less on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and increasingly 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 discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the month is observed is a indication of the political moment. How it develops is a good lesson in how co-option leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we saw the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, 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 parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are expanding in Europe as a whole.
In the US, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the country. A drive to erase African American heritage and narrative from the archives is under way. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be effective if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered festivities of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the conditions of the present. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. Denise Miller, a prof at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just do away with events including Black History Month altogether, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an era that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an framework that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? To begin with, 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), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not evade politics, and provides room for individuals, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the history when it fails to address the current situation of far-right rallies in the street? Establishments who mark it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and alertness to subtle slights, but confronted with the threats that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and reactive. Maybe an total re-identification is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
