This commemorative month is a reflection of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an celebration that was initiated as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has developed a commercial tone, expanding to include functions where Black people are compensated to talk to white audiences about hidden biases and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The wave has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated 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 commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in October in the UK, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has transformed since that time, placing less emphasis on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and more on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the observance is celebrated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it develops is a valuable example in how co-option leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the recent season we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a legislator feels empowered to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. At the same time, far-right parties are expanding in the European continent as a entirety.
In the America, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the state. A drive to scrub Black history and legacy from the archives is under way. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the celebration represents how minimally it can be influential if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the situation of the contemporary world. It also shows how its short period means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. Denise Miller, a prof at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a urge to just eliminate things like Black History Month entirely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an era that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an foundation that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed through the year (as some institutions are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not avoid governmental matters, and leaves space for individuals, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What value has mere awareness of the past when it ignores the current situation of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Organizations who observe it should not be reassured with the passive language of hidden discrimination and alertness to subtle slights, but faced with the threats that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is in order – Black History is Now Month.
