Black History Month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass functions where African descendants are remunerated to speak with Caucasian groups about hidden biases and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The surge has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in the second month, but also in autumn in the UK, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has evolved since that time, giving reduced attention to the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and more on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the celebration is celebrated is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how important it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the current time in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the summer we observed 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 the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a legislator gains confidence to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in Europe as a whole.
In the United States, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, often successfully, to the highest courts of the nation. A drive to scrub Black history and legacy from the historical documents is under way. One of the former president's first executive orders targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the month symbolises how little it can be influential if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the realities of the contemporary world. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is required. An academic expert, a educator at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to alter, change and broaden efforts for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month altogether, believing they are no longer suitable, or are relics 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 heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an infrastructure that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed through the year (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not evade governmental matters, and allows opportunity for people, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What use is simple recognition of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Organizations who observe it should not be pacified with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and alertness to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and responsive. Perhaps an total re-identification is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
