Black History Month serves as a mirror 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 rethink. As time has passed, an event that started out as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has developed a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate events where Black people are remunerated to speak with predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since those days, placing less emphasis on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the month is celebrated is a indication of the political moment. How it progresses is a good lesson in how co-option leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the warmer months we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels emboldened to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are expanding in Europe as a complete entity.
In the America, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A campaign to remove Black history and narrative from the records is in progress. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the month represents how minimally it can be impactful if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the conditions of the present. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort 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 month. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a urge to just do away with observances such as Black History Month completely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an time that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an infrastructure that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a time that does not avoid politics, and leaves space for individuals, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves mere awareness of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Institutions who observe it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the risks that affect everyone if anti-racism is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and responsive. Maybe an complete renaming is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
