Black History Month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an celebration that began as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include functions where Black people are paid to talk to Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in February, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has developed since that time, focusing less on the accounts of transatlantic enslavement 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 shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the method the observance is celebrated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a valuable example in how co-option leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the warmer months we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a member of parliament gains confidence to say that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the United States, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A effort to remove African American heritage and narrative from the archives is under way. One of the political figure's first executive orders targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the observance symbolises how little it can be influential if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content festivities of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the conditions of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is required. An academic expert, a prof at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just do away with things like Black History Month entirely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an era that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an framework that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out through the year (as some institutions are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not avoid politics, and provides room for citizens, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What use is simple recognition of the past when it ignores the current situation of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Establishments who observe it should not be comforted with the passive language of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to subtle slights, but challenged by the threats that impact society if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.
