This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an observance that started out as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a corporate feel, expanding to include gatherings where Black people are compensated to speak with predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The tide has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has developed since that time, focusing less on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and more on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the celebration is observed is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month better than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we saw the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament gains confidence to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. At the same time, far-right parties are growing in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the United States, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the country. A campaign to scrub African American heritage and narrative from the archives is under way. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the observance represents how insufficiently it can be effective if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the conditions of the current era. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is required. An academic expert, a educator at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden actions for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just discontinue events including Black History Month completely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an era that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an framework that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out through the year (as some institutions are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not avoid governmental matters, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly the younger generation, 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 urban areas? Organizations who mark it should not be pacified with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and awareness of subtle slights, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
