The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an observance that started out as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a corporate feel, expanding to include events where Black people are compensated to address Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Month
First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history 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 campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in October in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has developed since that time, focusing less on the accounts of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the celebration is celebrated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it progresses is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the warmer months we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels emboldened to state that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the EU as a entirety.
In the United States, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the country. A effort to scrub the history of people of color and narrative from the historical documents is under way. One of the former president's initial presidential directives aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered commemorations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the situation of the current era. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is required. An academic expert, a prof at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just do away with observances such as Black History Month completely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an era that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an framework that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out through the year (as some institutions are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and leaves space for people, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the bygone era when it ignores the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Establishments who celebrate it should not be pacified with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and alertness to minor insults, but confronted with the risks that face all if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is in order – Black History is Now Month.
