This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an observance that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has developed a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate functions where African descendants are paid to address white audiences about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the Britain, Deutschland, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since those days, giving reduced attention to the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the month is observed is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a valuable example in how co-option leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the current time in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the recent season we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a legislator feels empowered to state that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are growing in Europe as a entirety.
In the United States, 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 the history of people of color and legacy from the archives is in progress. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the month illustrates how little it can be influential if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the conditions of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. A university professor, a educator at University of Greenwich, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just discontinue events including Black History Month completely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an era that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an foundation that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not shy away from governmental matters, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves mere awareness of the bygone era when it fails to address the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Establishments who observe it should not be reassured with the passive language of implicit prejudice and awareness of “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that face all if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
