This commemorative 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 United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an celebration that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate functions where African descendants are compensated to speak with white audiences about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The wave has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the Britain, Deutschland, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has transformed since those days, giving reduced attention to the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the celebration is commemorated is a reflection of the political moment. How it evolves is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows 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 organization is leading the polls. In the recent season we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels emboldened to declare that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. At the same time, far-right parties are surging in the European continent as a whole.
In the United States, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the state. A drive to scrub Black history and legacy from the records is under way. One of the former president's first executive orders aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration symbolises how insufficiently it can be effective if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized celebrations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the situation of the present. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is required. A university professor, a prof at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just do away with events including Black History Month altogether, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an era that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an framework that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) included in school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not shy away from governmental matters, and leaves space for people, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What use is simple recognition of the bygone era when it ignores the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Organizations who observe it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to minor insults, but faced with the risks that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and responsive. Perhaps an complete renaming is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
