This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a commercial tone, growing to encompass functions where Black people are remunerated to talk to white audiences about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has developed since those days, placing less emphasis on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and more on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the celebration is commemorated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how important it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a legislator gains confidence to say that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are surging in the EU as a complete entity.
In the United States, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A drive to scrub Black history and narrative from the records is ongoing. One of the former president's initial presidential directives aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration represents how minimally it can be influential if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the conditions of the current era. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. A university professor, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The difficulty 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 agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just discontinue things like Black History Month completely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an time that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in educational programs. It would also be a time that does not avoid political issues, and provides room for people, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What value has basic knowledge of the history when it fails to address the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the street? Establishments who observe it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to subtle slights, but faced with the threats that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and reactive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is required – Black History is Now Month.
