Black History Month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an observance that began as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass events where individuals of African heritage are paid to address Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Originally observed 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 multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Ireland and the Holland.
The period has evolved since those days, focusing less on the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and more on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the celebration is commemorated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a good lesson in how co-option leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the guise 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 Black leader of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels emboldened to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are growing in the EU as a entirety.
In the United States, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A effort to remove Black history and narrative from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the former president's first executive orders targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the month represents how little it can be effective if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content celebrations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the realities of the current era. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is needed. A university professor, a professor at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just eliminate things like Black History Month altogether, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an period that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an framework that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a time that does not evade politics, and leaves space for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the bygone era when it fails to address the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Institutions who mark it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and alertness to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and adaptive. Perhaps an total re-identification is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
