The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an celebration that started out as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has developed a commercial tone, growing to encompass events where Black people are compensated to address white audiences about hidden biases and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since that time, placing less emphasis on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and increasingly on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the month is observed is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a instructive case in how co-option leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the current time in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the recent season we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a legislator feels emboldened to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are surging in the EU as a complete entity.
In the US, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the state. A drive to scrub the history of people of color and experience from the historical documents is in progress. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the celebration illustrates how little it can be effective if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the conditions of the present. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is required. A university professor, a prof at a learning establishment, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month completely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an era that has not worked.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed through the year (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 shy away from governmental matters, and provides room for people, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves mere awareness of the past when it ignores the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Institutions who observe it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and alertness to subtle slights, but challenged by the dangers that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and reactive. It could be that an complete renaming is in order – Black History is Now Month.
