This commemorative month is a reflection of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an observance that began as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate gatherings where African descendants are paid to talk to Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in February, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the month is celebrated is a indication of the current political situation. How it evolves is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it falls this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a member of parliament gains confidence to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the European continent as a whole.
In the America, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the state. A effort to scrub the history of people of color and narrative from the historical documents is under way. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration represents how little it can be influential if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content festivities of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the situation of the present. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is required. Denise Miller, a prof at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend actions for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an period that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not avoid political issues, and leaves space for people, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What use is simple recognition of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Establishments who celebrate it should not be comforted with the passive language of hidden discrimination and alertness to minor insults, but faced with the dangers that affect everyone if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and responsive. It could be that an complete renaming is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
