This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an observance that began as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has developed a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate gatherings where African descendants are remunerated to address Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
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 a week of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in October in the UK, Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has developed since that time, focusing less on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and more on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the observance is observed is a indication of the political moment. How it progresses is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the recent season we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels empowered to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the European continent as a entirety.
In the America, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, often successfully, to the highest courts of the country. A effort to scrub the history of people of color and experience from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the observance symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered festivities of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the realities of the present. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. A university professor, a prof at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just do away with events including Black History Month entirely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an period that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an foundation that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) included in school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and provides room for individuals, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is simple recognition of the bygone era when it ignores the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Organizations who observe it should not be pacified with the passive language of hidden discrimination and awareness of “microaggressions”, but faced with the dangers that impact society if anti-racism is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and reactive. It could be that an complete renaming is required – Black History is Now Month.
