Black History Month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an observance that started out as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a commercial tone, growing to encompass functions where Black people are paid to speak with Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The surge has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage 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 movement and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Deutschland, Éire and the Netherlands.
The month has developed since those days, placing less emphasis on the narratives of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the way the observance is celebrated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it progresses is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the recent season we witnessed the largest far-right rally in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels empowered to say that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the European continent as a entirety.
In the US, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A campaign to scrub Black history and experience from the archives is under way. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the month symbolises how little it can be influential if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized festivities of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the situation of the present. It also reveals how its short period means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. An academic expert, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a inclination to just eliminate events including Black History Month entirely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an time that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not avoid governmental matters, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has simple recognition of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Organizations who celebrate it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and alertness to subtle slights, but confronted with the dangers that face all if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and responsive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
