This commemorative month 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 feels like it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an observance that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has developed a corporate feel, growing to encompass events where individuals of African heritage are compensated to speak with predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The surge has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The observance has transformed since its inception, focusing less on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it develops is a instructive case in how co-option leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how important it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the recent season we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels emboldened to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are growing in the EU as a complete entity.
In the US, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the state. A drive to erase the history of people of color and narrative from the historical documents is in progress. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration symbolises how insufficiently it can be influential if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the conditions of the present. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is required. An academic expert, a prof at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just do away with events including Black History Month altogether, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an period that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an infrastructure that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not shy away from governmental matters, and provides room for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What use is basic knowledge of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Institutions who observe it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but faced with the dangers that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and reactive. It could be that an complete renaming is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
