Black History Month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an celebration that started out as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has adopted a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate gatherings where African descendants are compensated to address predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven 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. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in the second month, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has developed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and more on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the way the month is commemorated is a indication of the current political situation. How it evolves is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Few things illustrate how critical it is to rethink Black History Month better than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a member of parliament gains confidence to say that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are expanding in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the United States, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A drive to remove the history of people of color and narrative from the archives is in progress. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the month symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the realities of the present. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to alter, change and broaden actions for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just discontinue events including Black History Month completely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an era that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an infrastructure that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not avoid politics, and leaves space for citizens, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What value has mere awareness of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Organizations who mark it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and alertness to subtle slights, but challenged by the threats that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
