The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an event that started out as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has developed a corporate feel, growing to encompass functions where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to address Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The wave has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Month
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has evolved since that time, focusing less on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and more on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the month is commemorated is a indication of the political moment. How it evolves is a good lesson 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 Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a elected representative gains confidence to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in Europe as a whole.
In the America, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the state. A drive to scrub Black history and legacy from the historical documents is under way. One of the former president's initial presidential directives targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the month represents how minimally it can be effective if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the conditions of the current era. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is needed. An academic expert, a prof at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden actions for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just do away with things like Black History Month completely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an time that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an infrastructure that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not evade politics, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is simple recognition of the bygone era when it ignores the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Institutions who observe it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to subtle slights, but faced with the dangers that face all if anti-racism is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and reactive. Maybe an complete renaming is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
