The annual Black History observance acts as a gauge of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an event that began as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass gatherings where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to talk to Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The wave has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition 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 United States and Canada in February, but also in October in the UK, Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The month has evolved since its inception, focusing less on the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the celebration is celebrated is a indication of the current political situation. How it develops is a valuable example in how co-option leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels emboldened to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are growing in the European continent as a entirety.
In the United States, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A campaign to erase African American heritage and legacy from the archives is in progress. One of the political figure's first executive orders targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the month symbolises how insufficiently it can be influential if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized festivities of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the realities of the present. It also shows how its short period means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is required. Denise Miller, a prof at University of Greenwich, put it best when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just discontinue things like Black History Month altogether, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an period that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an framework that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) included in school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not evade political issues, and leaves space for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What use is mere awareness of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Establishments who mark it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and alertness to minor insults, but faced with the risks that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and reactive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is required – Black History is Now Month.
