Black History Month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an celebration that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a corporate feel, expanding to include gatherings where African descendants are compensated to address predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The period has transformed since those days, focusing less on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the celebration is celebrated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it progresses is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we saw the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels emboldened to state that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are surging in the European continent as a entirety.
In the US, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A drive to remove African American heritage and narrative from the records is under way. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the month symbolises how little it can be impactful if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than addressing the conditions of the present. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. Denise Miller, a prof at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a inclination to just do away with events including Black History Month entirely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants 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 – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an infrastructure that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not evade governmental matters, and leaves space for individuals, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What value has simple recognition of the bygone era when it fails to address the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Organizations who celebrate it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that face all if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.