Black History Month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an celebration that started out as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a corporate feel, expanding to include functions where individuals of African heritage are compensated to address predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The tide has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in February, but also in autumn in the UK, Deutschland, Éire and the Holland.
The period has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the observance is observed is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a good lesson in how co-option leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the current time in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we observed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. 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 member of parliament feels empowered to state that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the EU as a whole.
In the US, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A campaign to erase African American heritage and experience from the archives is under way. One of the political figure's first executive orders targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the celebration illustrates how little it can be effective if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the realities of the current era. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is needed. A university professor, a prof at an educational institution, put it best when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just do away with observances such as Black History Month altogether, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an era that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an framework that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not shy away from politics, and provides room for people, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves simple recognition of the bygone era when it ignores the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Institutions who mark it should not be comforted with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and awareness of minor insults, but challenged by the dangers that face all if fight against prejudice 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.
