This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an celebration that started out as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a corporate feel, expanding to include events where individuals of African heritage are compensated to speak with Caucasian groups about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The surge has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Month
First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in October in the UK, Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since its inception, placing less emphasis on the histories of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and greater focus on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the celebration is commemorated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it progresses is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we observed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels emboldened to state that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. At the same time, far-right parties are surging in the EU as a complete entity.
In the United States, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the country. A effort to scrub the history of people of color and experience from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the month symbolises how little it can be influential if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the realities of the current era. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. A university professor, a educator at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden actions for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just discontinue events including Black History Month altogether, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an period that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an infrastructure 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 fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not avoid political issues, and leaves space for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What value has mere awareness of the bygone era when it ignores the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the risks that affect everyone if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and responsive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.
