Black History Month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an observance that was initiated as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass events where individuals of African heritage are paid to speak with white audiences about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The tide has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Month
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since those days, focusing less on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and more on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the observance is commemorated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the current time in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the summer we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a legislator 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 diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the state. A effort to erase African American heritage and narrative from the historical documents is under way. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives aimed at 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 depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the month illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the situation of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is needed. A university professor, a educator at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just do away with things like Black History Month completely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an time that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an foundation that a considerable labor has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed through the year (as some institutions are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not shy away from politics, and provides room for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What value has simple recognition of the history when it ignores the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who mark it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but faced with the risks that impact society if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and reactive. Perhaps an complete renaming is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
