The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an event that began as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a commercial tone, expanding to include events where individuals of African heritage are paid to speak with predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the UK, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has developed since its inception, focusing less on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the celebration is commemorated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how important it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the current time in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the recent season 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 Tory party, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels emboldened to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are growing in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the United States, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A campaign to scrub the history of people of color and narrative from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the month symbolises how minimally it can be influential if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the realities of the present. It also reveals how its short period means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is needed. Denise Miller, a educator at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just eliminate events including Black History Month entirely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an era that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an framework that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out through the year (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not shy away from governmental matters, and leaves space for people, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What use is basic knowledge of the bygone era when it ignores the present reality of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Organizations who mark it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and alertness to minor insults, but challenged by the threats that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and responsive. Maybe an complete renaming is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
