Black History Month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an event that began as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has developed a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate events where African descendants are compensated to address white audiences about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the enterprise 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 Origins of Black History Month
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in February, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since that time, focusing less on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the celebration is celebrated is a indication of the current political situation. How it develops is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we observed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a legislator feels empowered to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a source of worry. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are growing in Europe as a entirety.
In the United States, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the state. A drive to erase the history of people of color and experience from the historical documents is in progress. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content commemorations of historical achievements, 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 needed. Denise Miller, a prof at an educational institution, put it best when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a urge to just do away with observances such as Black History Month entirely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an period that has failed to deliver.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an foundation that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not shy away from political issues, and provides room for citizens, 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 current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Institutions who observe it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to minor insults, but faced with the dangers that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and reactive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
