This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an celebration that began as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has developed a corporate feel, growing to encompass functions where Black people are paid to address white audiences about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The tide has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived 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 grew out of this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the Britain, Deutschland, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has developed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the histories of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and more on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the method the month is commemorated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a valuable example in how co-option leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how important it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a legislator gains confidence to say that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a source of worry. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the EU as a whole.
In the America, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A campaign to remove Black history and narrative from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration illustrates how little it can be influential if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content festivities of historical achievements, rather than challenging the realities of the current era. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. An academic expert, a educator at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to alter, change and broaden efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just discontinue things like Black History Month altogether, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an time that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an framework that a considerable labor has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not evade political issues, and leaves space for people, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What value has basic knowledge of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Establishments who celebrate it should not be pacified with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the risks that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. Perhaps an total re-identification is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
