The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an observance that started out as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate gatherings where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to address predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The tide has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in winter, but also in October in the UK, Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The month has transformed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the method the month is observed is a manifestation 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 objective of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a legislator gains confidence to state that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, far-right parties are growing in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the United States, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A drive to erase Black history and legacy from the archives is in progress. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives focused on 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 depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration represents how little it can be effective if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the realities of the current era. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. A university professor, a educator at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in 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 initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a inclination to just eliminate events including Black History Month completely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an era that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an framework that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not avoid politics, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the past when it fails to address the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Establishments who mark it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to subtle slights, but faced with the dangers that affect everyone if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and adaptive. It could be that an total re-identification is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
