The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an observance that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has taken on a corporate feel, growing to encompass gatherings where Black people are remunerated to address predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The tide has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this movement 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 UK, Deutschland, Éire and the Holland.
The period has evolved since that time, giving reduced attention to the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the observance is observed is a indication of the political moment. How it progresses is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the warmer months we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a member of parliament gains confidence to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the European continent as a whole.
In the United States, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A drive to scrub the history of people of color and legacy from the archives is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the observance represents how little it can be impactful if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the situation of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. An academic expert, a prof at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a inclination to just do away with events including Black History Month completely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an time that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an infrastructure that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out through the year (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not avoid politics, and provides room for individuals, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves mere awareness of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Organizations who mark it should not be pacified with the passive language of hidden discrimination and alertness to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and reactive. Maybe an total re-identification is in order – Black History is Now Month.
