The annual Black History observance acts as a gauge of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an event that began as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, growing to encompass gatherings where African descendants are compensated to talk to Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history 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 movement and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in October in the UK, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the histories of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the month is commemorated is a indication of the political moment. How it develops is a valuable example in how co-option leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to rethink Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the summer we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament gains confidence to say that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Simultaneously, far-right parties are expanding in the European continent as a entirety.
In the America, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A campaign to scrub Black history and legacy from the archives is in progress. One of the former president's early administrative commands focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the month illustrates how insufficiently it can be effective if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized festivities of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the conditions of the present. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is needed. An academic expert, a prof at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just eliminate events including Black History Month altogether, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an era that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an framework that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out through the year (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not evade politics, and provides room for citizens, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What value has mere awareness of the bygone era when it ignores the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and awareness of subtle slights, but confronted with the dangers that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and responsive. Perhaps an total re-identification is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
