The annual Black History observance acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate gatherings where African descendants are paid to speak with white audiences about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The surge has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has developed since its inception, focusing less on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to rethink Black History Month more than the current time in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the summer we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels empowered to state that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, far-right parties are growing in Europe as a entirety.
In the America, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A campaign to erase African American heritage and narrative from the historical documents is in progress. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration represents how little it can be influential if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content festivities of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the conditions of the present. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is required. A university professor, a educator at University of Greenwich, put it best when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just discontinue events including Black History Month entirely, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an era that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an infrastructure that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not evade politics, and allows opportunity for people, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What value has simple recognition of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of far-right rallies in the street? Organizations who observe it should not be pacified with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the dangers that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and responsive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is in order – Black History is Now Month.
