This commemorative month is a reflection of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an event that started out as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has adopted a corporate feel, expanding to include gatherings where African descendants are remunerated to address Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Deutschland, Éire and the Netherlands.
The month has evolved since those days, focusing less on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the method the month is observed is a manifestation of the political moment. How it evolves is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the recent season we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels emboldened to state that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. At the same time, far-right parties are surging in Europe as a complete entity.
In the America, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A campaign to scrub African American heritage and narrative from the archives is under way. One of the former president's first executive orders focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the observance represents how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the realities of the present. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is required. A university professor, a prof at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just discontinue things like Black History Month altogether, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an era that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an foundation that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed through the year (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not avoid politics, and leaves space for citizens, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the past when it fails to address the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Institutions who celebrate it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and alertness to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
