Black History Month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an event that began as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a corporate feel, growing to encompass events where Black people are compensated to address white audiences about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
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 middle of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has developed since that time, giving reduced attention to the histories of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and more on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the celebration is observed is a reflection of the political moment. How it progresses is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a legislator feels emboldened to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a source of worry. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are surging in the European continent as a entirety.
In the US, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the country. A campaign to scrub the history of people of color and legacy from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the political figure's first executive orders focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the observance illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized festivities of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the conditions of the present. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is required. Denise Miller, a prof at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just do away with observances such as Black History Month completely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an time that has failed to deliver.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an foundation that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not shy away from governmental matters, and allows opportunity for people, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves simple recognition of the bygone era when it ignores the present reality of far-right rallies in the street? Institutions who observe it should not be comforted with the passive language of implicit prejudice and alertness to minor insults, but faced with the threats that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and adaptive. Perhaps an total re-identification is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
