This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an event that began as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has developed a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate gatherings where Black people are remunerated to address predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established 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 evolved from this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, Deutschland, Éire and the Holland.
The observance has evolved since its inception, placing less emphasis on the narratives of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the celebration is celebrated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it progresses is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Few things illustrate how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a legislator gains confidence to say that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in Europe as a whole.
In the US, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the state. A effort to remove Black history and legacy from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the month illustrates how minimally it can be effective if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered festivities of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the realities of the present. It also shows how its short period means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. A university professor, a educator at an educational institution, put it best when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a inclination to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an time that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an framework that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), 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 dispersed through the year (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not avoid governmental matters, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is simple recognition of the past when it fails to address the present reality of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Organizations who mark it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and reactive. Maybe an total re-identification is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.
