This commemorative month is a reflection of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an event that started out as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has adopted a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate gatherings where African descendants are compensated to address Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The surge has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition 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 the tenth month in the UK, Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has evolved since its inception, giving reduced attention to the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and more on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the observance is observed is a reflection of the political moment. How it evolves is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels empowered to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a source of worry. Simultaneously, far-right parties are surging in the European continent as a entirety.
In the United States, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A campaign to erase African American heritage and experience from the records is in progress. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the month represents how insufficiently it can be influential if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized festivities of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the conditions of the present. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. A university professor, a educator at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just eliminate things like Black History Month entirely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an time that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an infrastructure that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out through the year (as certain organizations are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not evade political issues, and provides room for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What use is mere awareness of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Organizations who observe it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to subtle slights, but confronted with the risks that face all if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and adaptive. It could be that an total re-identification is required – Black History is Now Month.
