Black History Month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an event that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include functions where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to address Caucasian groups about hidden biases and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The surge has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in the second month, but also in October in the Britain, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The observance has developed since those days, focusing less on the narratives of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the month is commemorated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it develops is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the warmer months we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels empowered to declare that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. At the same time, far-right parties are growing in the EU as a complete entity.
In the US, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the country. A effort to remove the history of people of color and experience from the records is in progress. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the month represents how insufficiently it can be effective if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the situation of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand actions for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just eliminate events including Black History Month entirely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an era that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an infrastructure that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), 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 leaves space for individuals, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has basic knowledge of the past when it fails to address the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the threats that face all if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and reactive. It could be that an complete renaming is in order – Black History is Now Month.
