This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an celebration that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has taken on a commercial tone, growing to encompass gatherings where Black people are compensated to speak with white audiences about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The wave has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in October in the UK, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since that time, focusing less on the histories of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and greater focus on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the observance is observed is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it evolves is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how critical it is to rethink Black History Month more than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels empowered to declare that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in Europe as a entirety.
In the US, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the state. A campaign to scrub African American heritage and experience from the historical documents is in progress. One of the former president's initial presidential directives focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the month symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the realities of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is required. An academic expert, a prof at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to alter, change and broaden efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a urge to just eliminate things like Black History Month entirely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an time that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an framework that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in educational programs. It would also be a time that does not evade governmental matters, and provides room for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has basic knowledge of the past when it fails to address the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Institutions who mark it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to subtle slights, but confronted with the risks that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and adaptive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
