This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an event that started out as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include gatherings where African descendants are paid to talk to predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. 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 reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The month has transformed since those days, focusing less on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and more on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the way the month is celebrated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it develops is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the current time in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the recent season we saw the largest far-right rally in British history. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament gains confidence to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, far-right parties are growing in the EU as a entirety.
In the United States, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the country. A campaign to remove African American heritage and legacy from the historical documents is in progress. One of the political figure's first executive orders aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the month symbolises how minimally it can be influential if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized festivities of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the situation of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its short period means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. An academic expert, a educator at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month altogether, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an period that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed through the year (as some institutions are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and provides room for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What use is basic knowledge of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Organizations who celebrate it should not be pacified with the passive language of implicit prejudice and awareness of “microaggressions”, but confronted with the dangers that face all if anti-racism is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and adaptive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.
