Black History Month serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an observance that began as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include gatherings where Black people are remunerated to address predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. 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 wave has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has evolved since that time, placing less emphasis on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the month is celebrated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it develops is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the current time in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the summer we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels empowered to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. At the same time, far-right parties are expanding in Europe as a complete entity.
In the United States, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the country. A campaign to scrub Black history and experience from the archives is ongoing. One of the political figure's early administrative commands aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the celebration illustrates how minimally it can be effective if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content festivities of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the conditions of the contemporary world. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. An academic expert, a professor at University of Greenwich, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand actions for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just discontinue things like Black History Month altogether, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an era that has been ineffective.
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, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an framework that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out across all seasons (as some institutions are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a time that does not avoid governmental matters, and leaves space for people, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What use is mere awareness of the bygone era when it fails to address the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Establishments who mark it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and alertness to subtle slights, but confronted with the risks that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and adaptive. Maybe an complete renaming is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
