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 Britain, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an event that started out as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate functions where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to address predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The tide has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since its inception, focusing less on the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the contribution 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 month is celebrated is a indication of the current political situation. How it evolves is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how important it is to rethink Black History Month better than the current time in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the warmer months we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels empowered to say that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. At the same time, far-right parties are surging in the European continent as a entirety.
In the United States, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the country. A effort to erase Black history and experience from the archives is under way. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the month represents how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than addressing the conditions of the current era. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. An academic expert, a educator at an educational institution, put it best when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just do away with observances such as Black History Month entirely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an period that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an framework that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out across all seasons (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not shy away from political issues, and leaves space for citizens, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Organizations who mark it should not be comforted with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and awareness of “microaggressions”, but faced with the dangers that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and adaptive. It could be that an total re-identification is in order – Black History is Now Month.
