Black History Month is a reflection of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an celebration that began as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has developed a commercial tone, expanding to include events where African descendants are remunerated to address white audiences about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The wave has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The month has transformed since its inception, focusing less on the narratives of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and more on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the celebration is observed is a indication of the current political situation. How it progresses is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how important it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the summer we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a elected representative gains confidence to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are expanding in the EU as a entirety.
In the US, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A effort to scrub Black history and narrative from the historical documents is under way. One of the political figure's first executive orders aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the observance represents how minimally it can be impactful if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the realities of the current era. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. A university professor, a educator at University of Greenwich, put it best when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just discontinue events including Black History Month altogether, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an era that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an foundation that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not avoid governmental matters, and allows opportunity for people, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is simple recognition of the bygone era when it ignores the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Organizations who observe it should not be reassured with the passive language of hidden discrimination and awareness of “microaggressions”, but confronted with the threats that face all if anti-racism is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and responsive. Maybe an complete renaming is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
