Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a corporate feel, growing to encompass gatherings where African descendants are paid to talk to white audiences about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The wave has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has transformed since that time, giving reduced attention to the histories of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the month is commemorated is a indication of the political moment. How it evolves is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how important it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a elected representative gains confidence to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. At the same time, far-right parties are growing in the EU as a entirety.
In the US, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the country. A drive to erase African American heritage and narrative from the archives is ongoing. One of the former president's early administrative commands aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the observance illustrates how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the situation of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is needed. Denise Miller, a educator at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month entirely, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an period that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an framework that a significant effort has gone into. 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 contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed through the year (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not shy away from governmental matters, and provides room for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves simple recognition of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Institutions who observe it should not be pacified with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and alertness to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the risks that face all if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and reactive. Maybe an complete renaming is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
