This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an celebration that was initiated as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a corporate feel, growing to encompass gatherings where African descendants are remunerated to talk to Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The surge has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since that time, focusing less on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and greater focus on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the month is commemorated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it develops is a instructive case in how co-option leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the recent season we observed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a legislator gains confidence to say that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in Europe as a entirety.
In the US, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A campaign to scrub the history of people of color and experience from the historical documents is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the month represents how insufficiently it can be influential if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the conditions of the current era. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is required. An academic expert, a prof at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a urge to just eliminate things like Black History Month entirely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an period that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an infrastructure that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not evade governmental matters, and leaves space for individuals, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What value has mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of far-right rallies in the street? Establishments who observe it should not be pacified with the passive language of hidden discrimination and awareness of subtle slights, but challenged by the dangers that impact society if anti-racism is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and responsive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
