Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an event that was initiated as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include gatherings where Black people are paid to speak with Caucasian groups about hidden biases and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The wave has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in October in the Britain, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since its inception, placing less emphasis on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and increasingly on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the observance is commemorated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a instructive case in how co-option leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the current time in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a legislator feels empowered to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in Europe as a whole.
In the America, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, often successfully, to the highest courts of the country. A effort to erase African American heritage and legacy from the records is in progress. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the conditions of the current era. It also reveals how its short period means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is required. A university professor, a prof at a learning establishment, put it best when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just discontinue events including Black History Month altogether, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, 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 activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an framework that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out through the year (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not shy away from governmental matters, and provides room for people, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves mere awareness of the history when it fails to address the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Establishments who celebrate it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but faced with the dangers that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
