This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an celebration that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has developed a commercial tone, growing to encompass functions where individuals of African heritage are paid to talk to white audiences about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The tide has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in winter, but also in October in the UK, Deutschland, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has transformed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the celebration is celebrated is a indication of the political moment. How it develops is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the recent season we witnessed the largest far-right rally 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 situation where a elected representative feels emboldened to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a source of worry. At the same time, far-right parties are growing in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the America, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A campaign to erase African American heritage and legacy from the records is in progress. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the celebration illustrates how minimally it can be influential if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the situation of the contemporary world. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is needed. A university professor, a educator at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a urge to just eliminate things like Black History Month completely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an period that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an foundation that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (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 through the year (as various establishments are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not shy away from political issues, and leaves space for people, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves mere awareness of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Establishments who celebrate it should not be comforted with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the risks that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and reactive. Perhaps an complete renaming is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
