Black History Month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an observance that started out as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has taken on a commercial tone, expanding to include functions where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to speak with Caucasian groups about hidden biases and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The wave has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established 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 evolved from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the accounts of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the celebration is observed is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it evolves is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a legislator feels emboldened to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the EU as a whole.
In the United States, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A campaign to remove Black history and experience from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the former president's early administrative commands focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the observance illustrates how little it can be influential if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content celebrations of historical achievements, rather than addressing 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. An academic expert, a prof at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a inclination to just do away with events including Black History Month altogether, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an era that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an infrastructure that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not shy away from governmental matters, and provides room for people, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Establishments who observe it should not be comforted with the passive language of hidden discrimination and awareness of subtle slights, but confronted with the dangers that face all if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and adaptive. It could be that an complete renaming is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
