Black History Month is a reflection of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an observance that began as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate functions where Black people are compensated to talk to predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The tide has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in February, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has transformed since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the celebration is observed is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels emboldened to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the EU as a whole.
In the United States, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the nation. A drive to remove Black history and narrative from the records is in progress. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the observance illustrates how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the situation of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is needed. A university professor, a prof at University of Greenwich, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month completely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an era that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an framework that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not shy away from governmental matters, and allows opportunity for people, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What value has mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Establishments who observe it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to minor insults, but challenged by the risks that face all if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and adaptive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
