Black History Month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an event that began as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include gatherings where Black people are remunerated to talk to predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The wave has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Month
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the Britain, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the method the month is celebrated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a valuable example in how co-option leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a elected representative gains confidence to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the EU as a whole.
In the United States, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the country. A drive to remove African American heritage and legacy from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the month illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the conditions of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is needed. Denise Miller, a educator at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining 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 do away with events including Black History Month entirely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an period that has not worked.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an framework that a lot of work 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 distributed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not avoid governmental matters, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Organizations who observe it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and alertness to “microaggressions”, but faced with the threats that impact society if anti-racism is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and responsive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
