Black History Month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an event that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a corporate feel, expanding to include events where Black people are remunerated to talk to white audiences about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since that time, giving reduced attention to the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and more on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the way the observance is observed is a reflection of the current political situation. How it progresses is a valuable example in how co-option leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator gains confidence to declare that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, far-right parties are expanding in the EU as a entirety.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the country. A campaign to remove African American heritage and narrative from the archives is ongoing. One of the political figure's first executive orders aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that 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 little it can be influential if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the situation of the current era. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. Denise Miller, a educator at University of Greenwich, put it best when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to alter, change and broaden efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just eliminate things like Black History Month entirely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an period that has failed to deliver.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an infrastructure that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out through the year (as some institutions are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not evade politics, and provides room for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is mere awareness of the history when it fails to address the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Organizations who observe it should not be comforted with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if anti-racism is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and reactive. Maybe an total re-identification is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
