This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
It's 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 festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a commercial tone, expanding to include functions where Black people are paid to address Caucasian groups about hidden biases and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The Origins of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The period has developed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and more on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the celebration is commemorated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it progresses is a instructive case in how co-option leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a elected representative gains confidence to declare that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, far-right parties are surging in the European continent as a entirety.
In the US, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the nation. A drive to scrub the history of people of color and experience from the records is ongoing. One of the political figure's early administrative commands focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the month represents how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the realities of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. An academic expert, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
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 inclination to just do away with events including Black History Month altogether, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an time that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an framework that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a time that does not evade political issues, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What value has basic knowledge of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of far-right rallies in the street? Organizations who celebrate it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and awareness of minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that face all if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and adaptive. Maybe an total re-identification is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
