Black History Month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an observance that began as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate gatherings where African descendants are compensated to address white audiences about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The wave has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the Britain, Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since that time, focusing less on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and more on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the celebration is observed is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a good lesson in how co-option leads to weakening: the restructuring 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 crucial it is to rethink Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we observed 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 elected representative feels emboldened to say that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a source of worry. At the same time, far-right parties are expanding in the European continent as a entirety.
In the United States, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A drive to erase African American heritage and legacy from the historical documents is under way. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the month represents how insufficiently it can be effective if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content festivities of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the conditions of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its short period means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. A university professor, a prof at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a urge to just do away with things like Black History Month entirely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an era that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an framework that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as various establishments are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not shy away from political issues, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves simple recognition of the bygone era when it fails to address the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Establishments who observe it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that impact society if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and reactive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is in order – Black History is Now Month.
