This commemorative month is a reflection of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an event that began as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate gatherings where individuals of African heritage are compensated to address Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian 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 formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in winter, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has developed since those days, focusing less on the histories of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the input 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 method the observance is commemorated is a reflection of the political moment. How it evolves is a valuable example in how co-option leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the current time in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels emboldened to say that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, far-right parties are surging in the European continent as a whole.
In the United States, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A drive to scrub Black history and legacy from the records is ongoing. One of the former president's first executive orders targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the observance illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered celebrations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the realities of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. A university professor, a educator at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month altogether, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an time that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an foundation that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not evade politics, and provides room for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Establishments who celebrate it should not be reassured with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and awareness of subtle slights, but faced with the dangers that affect everyone if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and responsive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is required – Black History is Now Month.
