Black History Month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an observance that was initiated as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has developed a corporate feel, growing to encompass functions where Black people are paid to address white audiences about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The surge has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has evolved since its inception, placing less emphasis on the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and increasingly on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the contribution 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 way the observance is commemorated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it evolves is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the summer we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels emboldened to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a source of worry. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the European continent as a whole.
In the US, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A effort to remove Black history and narrative from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the celebration symbolises how minimally it can be effective if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the situation of the present. It also shows how its short period means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “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
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a urge to just eliminate events including Black History Month completely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an period that has failed to deliver.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an infrastructure that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not avoid political issues, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What value has simple recognition of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Establishments who mark it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that face all if anti-racism is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and reactive. It could be that an total re-identification is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
