The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an event that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has adopted a corporate feel, growing to encompass functions where African descendants are compensated to talk to predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the Britain, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since that time, giving reduced attention to the histories of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and greater focus on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the celebration is celebrated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it evolves is a good lesson in how co-option leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how important it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the current time in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the summer we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a legislator gains confidence to say that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, far-right parties are growing in the European continent as a whole.
In the US, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A drive to scrub the history of people of color and experience from the archives is in progress. One of the political figure's first executive orders aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the month illustrates how little it can be impactful if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered festivities of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the realities of the present. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is required. An academic expert, a educator at University of Greenwich, put it best when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just do away with things like Black History Month entirely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an period that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of campaigns for equality – 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 politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out across all seasons (as various establishments are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not evade politics, and leaves space for people, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What use is basic knowledge of the past when it fails to address the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Establishments who mark it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and alertness to subtle slights, but confronted with the risks that face all if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and adaptive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is in order – Black History is Now Month.
