Black History Month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an observance that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate gatherings where Black people are paid to address Caucasian groups about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has developed since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the month is celebrated is a indication of the political moment. How it evolves is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels empowered to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, far-right parties are surging in the European continent as a entirety.
In the United States, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A drive to remove African American heritage and experience from the archives is in progress. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the month symbolises how minimally it can be impactful if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content celebrations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the conditions of the current era. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is needed. Denise Miller, a educator at a learning establishment, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just discontinue things like Black History Month altogether, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an era that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an foundation that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? Well, first, 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 historic Black characters) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not shy away from political issues, and provides room for citizens, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What value has basic knowledge of the bygone era when it fails to address the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Establishments who observe it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and alertness to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and adaptive. Maybe an complete renaming is in order – Black History is Now Month.
