The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror 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 reassessment. Throughout its history, an event that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has taken on a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate events where individuals of African heritage are paid to speak with Caucasian groups about hidden biases and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The surge has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Deutschland, Éire and the Holland.
The period has developed since its inception, focusing less on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the observance is observed is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how important it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels empowered to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a source of worry. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in Europe as a complete entity.
In the United States, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A campaign to scrub the history of people of color and experience from the archives is ongoing. One of the political figure's early administrative commands focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the celebration symbolises how minimally it can be impactful if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content commemorations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the situation of the present. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is required. A university professor, a educator at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just eliminate events including Black History Month entirely, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an period that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an infrastructure that a significant effort has been invested in. 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 contemporary active Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out across all seasons (as some institutions are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not evade politics, and provides room for people, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the bygone era when it fails to address the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Institutions who mark it should not be comforted with the passive language of implicit prejudice and awareness of minor insults, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and responsive. Maybe an complete renaming is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
