Black History Month serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an celebration that was initiated as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include functions where African descendants are remunerated to speak with Caucasian groups about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The tide has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in the second month, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The observance has developed since those days, placing less emphasis on the histories of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the method the celebration is observed is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to rethink Black History Month more than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels empowered to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are expanding in Europe as a complete entity.
In the United States, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A campaign to remove African American heritage and experience from the historical documents is under way. 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 “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the observance represents how minimally it can be impactful if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the situation of the present. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is required. A university professor, a professor at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to alter, change and broaden actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just do away with observances such as Black History Month entirely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an time that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an framework that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed across all seasons (as some institutions are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not evade politics, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is mere awareness of the history when it fails to address the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Organizations who mark it should not be pacified with the passive language of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but faced with the risks that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and responsive. Perhaps an complete renaming is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
