This commemorative month is a reflection of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an observance that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has adopted a commercial tone, expanding to include gatherings where Black people are paid to address predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The surge has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and more on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the celebration is celebrated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Few things illustrate how critical it is to rethink Black History Month better than the specific period in which it falls 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 most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a elected representative feels empowered to state that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a source of worry. At the same time, far-right parties are expanding in the EU as a whole.
In the America, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, often successfully, to the highest courts of the nation. A drive to scrub African American heritage and experience from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the former president's early administrative commands focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the observance represents how little it can be effective if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the situation of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. An academic expert, a professor at University of Greenwich, put it best when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just do away with events including Black History Month altogether, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an era that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an framework that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (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 era that does not shy away from governmental matters, and leaves space for citizens, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What value has basic knowledge of the history when it ignores the present reality of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Establishments who observe it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and awareness of minor insults, but challenged by the dangers that face all if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and adaptive. It could be that an total re-identification is required – Contemporary Black History Month.