Black History Month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an celebration that began as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has taken on a corporate feel, expanding to include functions where Black people are compensated to talk to Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The tide has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The Origins of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has transformed since that time, focusing less on the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and more on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the month is observed is a reflection of the current political situation. How it progresses is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month better than the specific period in which it falls 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 warmer months we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a legislator gains confidence to state that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. At the same time, far-right parties are growing in Europe as a complete entity.
In the America, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the country. A campaign to remove African American heritage and narrative from the historical documents is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the observance represents how little it can be influential if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the realities of the current era. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is needed. A university professor, a educator at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden actions for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a urge to just do away with things like Black History Month entirely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an period that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an framework that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not avoid politics, and provides room for people, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the history when it ignores the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Organizations who observe it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the dangers that face all if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and responsive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
