This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an observance that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include events where African descendants are remunerated to address Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The surge has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, Deutschland, Éire and the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since that time, placing less emphasis on the histories of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and more on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the method the observance is observed is a indication of the political moment. How it progresses is a valuable example in how co-option leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month better than the current time in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels empowered to state that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a source of worry. At the same time, far-right parties are surging in the EU as a whole.
In the US, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, often successfully, to the highest courts of the state. A effort to remove Black history and experience from the records is under way. One of the former president's first executive orders aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the month illustrates how minimally it can be effective if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than addressing the conditions of the present. It also reveals how its short period means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. An academic expert, a educator at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden efforts for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month entirely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an time that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an framework that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
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 through the year (as some institutions are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and provides room for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What use is basic knowledge of the bygone era when it fails to address the current situation of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Organizations who mark it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and alertness to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that impact society if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and adaptive. Perhaps an complete renaming is in order – Black History is Now Month.
