Black History Month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an celebration that started out as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has adopted a commercial tone, growing to encompass gatherings where Black people are compensated to talk to predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The wave has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in February, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has transformed since that time, placing less emphasis on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and more on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the observance is observed is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month more than the current time in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we saw the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels empowered to say that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are growing in Europe as a entirety.
In the US, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the country. A campaign to remove Black history and legacy from the records is in progress. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the month represents how minimally it can be impactful if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized celebrations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the situation of the present. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. A university professor, a educator at a learning establishment, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month completely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an era that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an framework that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed through the year (as various establishments are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and provides room for people, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves simple recognition of the past when it fails to address the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Establishments who observe it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and alertness to subtle slights, but challenged by the threats that affect everyone if anti-racism is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and adaptive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
