This commemorative month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an event that was initiated as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has developed a commercial tone, growing to encompass events where individuals of African heritage are paid to talk to white audiences about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The month has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and increasingly on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the month is observed is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how important it is to rethink Black History Month better than the current time in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we observed the largest far-right rally in British history. the Conservative leader, 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 legislator feels emboldened to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, far-right parties are surging in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the United States, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the state. A effort to remove the history of people of color and experience from the archives is under way. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the month symbolises how insufficiently it can be influential if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the situation of the present. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is required. A university professor, a prof at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just do away with observances such as Black History Month entirely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an era that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an framework that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Institutions who observe it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and alertness to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. Perhaps an complete renaming is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.
