This commemorative 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 feels like it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an event that started out as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass functions where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to speak with predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The month has transformed since those days, giving reduced attention to the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the method the month is observed is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how important it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels empowered to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, far-right parties are expanding in Europe as a complete entity.
In the United States, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, often successfully, to the highest courts of the nation. A effort to erase Black history and experience from the records is ongoing. One of the former president's early administrative commands aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the month represents how minimally it can be influential if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized commemorations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the realities of the current era. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. Denise Miller, a prof at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just eliminate things like Black History Month entirely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an era that has failed to deliver.
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, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an infrastructure that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not avoid governmental matters, and provides room for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What value has mere awareness of the bygone era when it ignores the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Establishments who observe it should not be comforted with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and alertness to subtle slights, but challenged by the threats that impact society if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and adaptive. Maybe an complete renaming is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.
