Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an celebration that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has developed a commercial tone, expanding to include gatherings where Black people are remunerated to speak with predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The surge has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Month
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 a week of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in the second month, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since that time, focusing less on the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and greater focus on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the celebration is celebrated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it progresses is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month more than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we saw the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, 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 reason for concern. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the EU as a complete entity.
In the America, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the state. A effort to remove the history of people of color and legacy from the records is under way. One of the political figure's early administrative commands aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the month represents how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content celebrations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the situation of the contemporary world. It also shows how its short period means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is required. A university professor, a professor at a learning establishment, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just do away with things like Black History Month completely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an era that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an infrastructure that a significant effort 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 fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed through the year (as certain organizations are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not avoid governmental matters, and leaves space for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Organizations who mark it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that affect everyone if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and responsive. Perhaps an complete renaming is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
