The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an observance that started out as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate functions where African descendants are remunerated to address predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated 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 a week of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the Britain, Deutschland, Éire and the Holland.
The month has transformed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the narratives of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the political moment. How it progresses is a instructive case in how co-option leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how critical it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it falls 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 largest far-right rally in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels empowered to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are surging in the EU as a entirety.
In the United States, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the country. A campaign to scrub the history of people of color and narrative from the records is ongoing. One of the former president's first executive orders targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the month represents how little it can be influential if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the realities of the present. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is required. Denise Miller, a professor at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden actions for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just do away with events including Black History Month altogether, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an era that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an foundation that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in educational programs. It would also be a time that does not evade politics, and provides room for individuals, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Establishments who observe it should not be pacified with the passive language of implicit prejudice and awareness of minor insults, but faced with the threats that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and adaptive. It could be that an complete renaming is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
