Black History Month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an observance that began as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass functions where African descendants are remunerated to talk to Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The wave has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the Britain, Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since its inception, focusing less on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the observance is commemorated is a indication of the current political situation. How it progresses is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the current time in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the recent season we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels empowered to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a source of worry. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the EU as a entirety.
In the US, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the state. A effort to scrub the history of people of color and experience from the records is under way. One of the political figure's first executive orders targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration symbolises how little it can be influential if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the conditions of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its short period means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is required. An academic expert, a professor at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just eliminate events including Black History Month altogether, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an period that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an foundation that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not shy away from governmental matters, and leaves space for individuals, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What use is simple recognition of the bygone era when it fails to address the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and alertness to subtle slights, but challenged by the dangers that face all if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and reactive. Perhaps an complete renaming is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.
