This commemorative month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an observance that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a commercial tone, growing to encompass events where Black people are paid to address predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The wave has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the UK, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has transformed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the accounts of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and greater focus on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments 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 contemporary political context. How it progresses is a good lesson in how co-option leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels empowered to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A drive to erase the history of people of color and experience from the archives is in progress. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the month illustrates how little it can be effective if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the situation of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is required. Denise Miller, a prof at a learning establishment, put it best when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just eliminate events including Black History Month completely, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an time that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an infrastructure that a lot of work has been dedicated to. 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 new dynamic Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not avoid political issues, and leaves space for individuals, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has basic knowledge of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the street? Organizations who mark it should not be comforted with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that impact society if anti-racism is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and responsive. Maybe an total re-identification is in order – Black History is Now Month.
