This commemorative month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an event that started out as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include events where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to speak with predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the histories of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the month is celebrated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it progresses is a instructive case in how co-option leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Few things illustrate how important 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 political group is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a elected representative gains confidence to declare that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are growing in the European continent as a whole.
In the United States, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A effort to remove African American heritage and narrative from the archives is ongoing. One of the former president's initial presidential directives aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the observance symbolises how little it can be impactful if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized festivities of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the conditions of the present. It also reveals how its short period means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is required. A university professor, a educator at University of Greenwich, put it best when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a urge to just discontinue events including Black History Month entirely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an era that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an foundation that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not evade political issues, and leaves space for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What value has basic knowledge of the past when it fails to address the current situation of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Establishments who celebrate it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and awareness of subtle slights, but confronted with the risks that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and responsive. Maybe an complete renaming is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
