Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize 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 commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate functions where African descendants are paid to address white audiences about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The wave has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and more on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the method the month is commemorated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it progresses is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the current time in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we observed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels emboldened to declare that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are growing in Europe as a whole.
In the America, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the country. A drive to scrub African American heritage and legacy from the records is in progress. One of the political figure's early administrative commands targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration symbolises how minimally it can be impactful if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the conditions of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is required. Denise Miller, a educator at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend actions for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a inclination to just discontinue events including Black History Month entirely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an time that has not worked.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an foundation that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) included in school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not evade political issues, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What value has basic knowledge of the past when it fails to address the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be reassured with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the risks that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and responsive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
