This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an observance that began as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include gatherings where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to address white audiences about hidden biases and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The tide has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Month
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has developed since those days, focusing less on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the way the celebration is celebrated is a reflection of the political moment. How it progresses is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the warmer months we observed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels emboldened to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a source of worry. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the European continent as a entirety.
In the United States, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the country. A drive to erase African American heritage and experience from the historical documents is under way. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the month illustrates how minimally it can be effective if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the situation of the current era. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. An academic expert, a professor at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just do away with events including Black History Month altogether, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an era that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an foundation that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not shy away from political issues, and allows opportunity for people, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What use is simple recognition of the past when it fails to address the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Establishments who mark it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and awareness of minor insults, but challenged by the threats that face all if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and reactive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.
