Black History Month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an event that began as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has developed a corporate feel, expanding to include functions where African descendants are paid to talk to white audiences about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The wave has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in the second month, but also in October in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The period has developed since that time, giving reduced attention to the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it develops is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the summer we saw the largest far-right rally in British history. a prominent political figure, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels emboldened to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a source of worry. At the same time, far-right parties are growing in Europe as a complete entity.
In the America, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A effort to erase African American heritage and legacy from the records is under way. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the month represents how little it can be effective if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered celebrations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the conditions of the present. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at a learning establishment, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month completely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an era that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out across all seasons (as certain organizations are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not evade governmental matters, and provides room for individuals, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves mere awareness of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Establishments who observe it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and alertness to “microaggressions”, but faced with the threats that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and adaptive. Perhaps an total re-identification is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
