Black History Month is a reflection of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an celebration that began as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass functions where African descendants are remunerated to speak with Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has evolved since those days, focusing less on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and greater focus on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the celebration is observed is a manifestation of the political moment. How it evolves is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the warmer months we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels empowered to declare that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, far-right parties are surging in the European continent as a whole.
In the United States, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the country. A effort to scrub the history of people of color and legacy from the records is in progress. One of the political figure's first executive orders aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the month represents how minimally it can be impactful if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the realities of the current era. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. A university professor, a professor at an educational institution, put it best when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just do away with observances such as Black History Month completely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an era that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an framework that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out through the year (as various establishments are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) included in educational programs. It would also be a time that does not shy away from politics, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What use is mere awareness of the history when it fails to address the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Institutions who mark it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but faced with the risks that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and reactive. Maybe an total re-identification is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.