This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an event that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has developed a commercial tone, growing to encompass gatherings where Black people are remunerated to address Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The tide has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the histories of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the observance is celebrated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the warmer months we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels emboldened to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are surging in the EU as a entirety.
In the America, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A campaign to erase Black history and experience from the records is in progress. One of the former president's initial presidential directives targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the month symbolises how insufficiently it can be effective if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the realities of the contemporary world. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. Denise Miller, a educator at University of Greenwich, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to alter, change and broaden efforts for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month completely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an era that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an framework that a considerable labor 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 appear as? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not evade governmental matters, and allows opportunity for people, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is mere awareness of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and alertness to minor insults, but faced with the threats that impact society if anti-racism is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and adaptive. Perhaps an total re-identification is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
