The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an event that started out as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, growing to encompass events where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to speak with Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the UK, Deutschland, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has developed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the accounts of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the month is observed is a reflection of the current political situation. How it develops is a good lesson in how co-option leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the warmer months we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a legislator feels emboldened to say that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are expanding in Europe as a whole.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A campaign to erase Black history and legacy from the archives is in progress. One of the political figure's early administrative commands focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be influential if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the situation of the present. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just eliminate things like Black History Month altogether, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an time that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an infrastructure that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (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 dispersed through the year (as some institutions are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) included in school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not avoid politics, and leaves space for individuals, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves simple recognition of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and alertness to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that affect everyone if anti-racism is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and reactive. It could be that an total re-identification is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
