Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an celebration that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has developed a corporate feel, growing to encompass functions where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to address predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The surge has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Month
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in winter, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has transformed since its inception, focusing less on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the observance is commemorated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it progresses is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how important it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we witnessed the largest far-right rally in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a legislator gains confidence to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the EU as a entirety.
In the United States, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, often successfully, to the highest courts of the country. A drive to erase Black history and experience from the archives is under way. One of the former president's first executive orders aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be influential if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered celebrations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the situation of the current era. It also reveals how its short period means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is needed. A university professor, a professor at University of Greenwich, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just do away with events including Black History Month altogether, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an time that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an foundation that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not avoid governmental matters, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What use is simple recognition of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Establishments who observe it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the dangers that face all if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and reactive. Perhaps an complete renaming is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
