Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an observance that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include events where Black people are remunerated to talk to white audiences about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The wave has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the UK, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The period has developed since that time, placing less emphasis on the histories of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and more on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the month is observed is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it develops is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a legislator feels emboldened to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in Europe as a entirety.
In the America, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, often successfully, to the highest courts of the nation. A drive to scrub the history of people of color and legacy from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be effective if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than challenging the realities of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. An academic expert, a prof at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend actions for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just discontinue things like Black History Month entirely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an era that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an foundation that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out through the year (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not evade politics, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What use is mere awareness of the bygone era when it ignores the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who mark it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and awareness of minor insults, but faced with the dangers that face all if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and adaptive. It could be that an total re-identification is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.
