Black History Month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an event that began as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include gatherings where Black people are remunerated to speak with predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Month
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since that time, placing less emphasis on the histories of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and more on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a instructive case in how co-option leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the objective 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 takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the warmer months we observed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels empowered to say that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, far-right parties are surging in the EU as a entirety.
In the America, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A drive to erase Black history and legacy from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the observance represents how insufficiently it can be effective if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the situation of the current era. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. An academic expert, a professor at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a inclination to just eliminate events including Black History Month entirely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an period that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – 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, regresses), 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 through the year (as various establishments are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not evade political issues, and provides room for individuals, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What value has simple recognition of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Organizations who mark it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and alertness to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and adaptive. It could be that an complete renaming is in order – Black History is Now Month.
