This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has developed a commercial tone, expanding to include gatherings where individuals of African heritage are paid to speak with predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness 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 Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the UK, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has developed since that time, giving reduced attention to the narratives of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the month is celebrated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a valuable example in how co-option leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month more than the current time in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a legislator feels empowered to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the US, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the country. A campaign to remove Black history and experience from the historical documents is in progress. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the celebration symbolises how little it can be impactful if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the realities of the contemporary world. 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 professor at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a inclination to just do away with events including Black History Month entirely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an era that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an foundation that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not evade governmental matters, and leaves space for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What use is basic knowledge of the history when it ignores the current situation of far-right rallies in the street? Institutions who mark it should not be pacified with the passive language of hidden discrimination and alertness to minor insults, but faced with the risks that face all if anti-racism is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and adaptive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
