This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an celebration that began as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include events where Black people are paid to address white audiences about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The wave has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The month has developed since those days, placing less emphasis on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and more on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the month is commemorated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it develops is a instructive case in how co-option leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the current time in which it falls this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels empowered to say that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are growing in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the country. A effort to scrub African American heritage and narrative from the historical documents is in progress. One of the former president's early administrative commands targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be effective if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the situation of the present. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. A university professor, a professor at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an period that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an foundation that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed across all seasons (as some institutions are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not avoid politics, and provides room for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is basic knowledge of the history when it fails to address the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Establishments who mark it should not be pacified with the passive language of implicit prejudice and awareness of “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and reactive. Perhaps an total re-identification is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
