The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an observance that began as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate gatherings where Black people are paid to talk to predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The surge has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and more on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the method the observance is celebrated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it progresses is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to rethink Black History Month more than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the summer we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a legislator gains confidence to say that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the European continent as a whole.
In the United States, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A drive to erase African American heritage and narrative from the archives is in progress. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration represents how little it can be influential if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the situation of the contemporary world. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. A university professor, a educator at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month entirely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an era that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an framework that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not evade political issues, and provides room for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What use is mere awareness of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be pacified with the passive language of implicit prejudice and awareness of “microaggressions”, but faced with the threats that impact society if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and reactive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
