Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an celebration that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has developed a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate events where Black people are compensated to talk to white audiences about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The tide has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this movement 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 October in the UK, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has transformed since those days, placing less emphasis on the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the contribution 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 method the observance is observed is a indication of the current political situation. How it develops is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how important it is to rethink Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we witnessed the largest far-right rally in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels empowered to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. At the same time, far-right parties are expanding in Europe as a complete entity.
In the United States, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A drive to remove Black history and narrative from the historical documents is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the celebration represents how little it can be effective if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the situation of the current era. It also shows how its short period means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is required. An academic expert, a prof at a learning establishment, put it best when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden actions for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a urge to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month entirely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an period that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an framework that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not evade politics, and allows opportunity for people, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What use is simple recognition of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of far-right rallies in the street? Establishments who observe it should not be pacified with the passive language of implicit prejudice and alertness to subtle slights, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if anti-racism is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and reactive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
