Black History Month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an observance that started out as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a corporate feel, expanding to include functions where African descendants are compensated to talk to white audiences about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The month has developed since those days, focusing less on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the contribution 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 celebration is observed is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how important it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. a prominent political figure, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels empowered to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the EU as a complete entity.
In the America, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A campaign to scrub the history of people of color and narrative from the records is ongoing. One of the former president's initial presidential directives focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the observance illustrates how little it can be influential if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than addressing the realities of the contemporary world. It also shows how its short period means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is required. Denise Miller, a educator at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand actions for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just eliminate events including Black History Month entirely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an era that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an foundation that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not avoid governmental matters, and provides room for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What value has mere awareness of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Institutions who mark it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to subtle slights, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and adaptive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
