This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an celebration that began as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass functions where Black people are compensated to talk to Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in winter, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Éire and the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since those days, giving reduced attention to the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the way the celebration is observed is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows 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 ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a legislator feels emboldened to say that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, far-right parties are growing in the EU as a whole.
In the US, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the state. A campaign to remove Black history and narrative from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the former president's initial presidential directives targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be effective if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered commemorations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the conditions of the present. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is required. A university professor, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an period that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an foundation that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) included in educational programs. It would also be a time that does not avoid politics, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What value has simple recognition of the history when it ignores the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Organizations who mark it should not be reassured with the passive language of implicit prejudice and alertness to subtle slights, but challenged by the threats that affect everyone if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and adaptive. Perhaps an total re-identification is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
