This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an observance that started out as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has developed a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate events where African descendants are compensated to talk to white audiences about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The month has evolved since those days, giving reduced attention to the histories of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and more on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the celebration is observed is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how important it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the current time in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the warmer months we witnessed 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 strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a elected representative gains confidence to say that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Simultaneously, far-right parties are surging in the EU as a complete entity.
In the United States, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the nation. A drive to remove African American heritage and legacy from the historical documents is under way. One of the former president's first executive orders targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the celebration symbolises how little it can be impactful if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized festivities of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the realities of the current era. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. Denise Miller, a prof at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden efforts for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month entirely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an period that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an foundation that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not shy away from political issues, and leaves space for citizens, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What value has basic knowledge of the past when it ignores the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Institutions who celebrate it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and awareness of subtle slights, but confronted with the threats that impact society if anti-racism is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and responsive. Perhaps an complete renaming is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
