This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an observance that started out as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a corporate feel, growing to encompass gatherings where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to speak with predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The tide has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in October in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The observance has transformed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the histories of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the celebration is commemorated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it evolves is a valuable example in how co-option leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the current time in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the warmer months we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels empowered to say that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the EU as a whole.
In the America, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, often successfully, to the highest courts of the nation. A campaign to erase African American heritage and legacy from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the former president's initial presidential directives focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the observance illustrates how insufficiently it can be effective if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized commemorations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the realities of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is required. An academic expert, a prof at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just discontinue things like Black History Month entirely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an time that has failed to deliver.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an foundation that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (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 not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed across all seasons (as some institutions are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not avoid governmental matters, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Establishments who mark it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to subtle slights, but confronted with the dangers that face all if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and responsive. Perhaps an total re-identification is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
