The annual Black History observance acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an observance that started out as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass events where Black people are compensated to talk to white audiences about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since that time, focusing less on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and increasingly on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the month is observed is a reflection of the political moment. How it progresses is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the current time in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we observed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a elected representative feels emboldened to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the European continent as a whole.
In the United States, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A campaign to remove Black history and narrative from the archives is in progress. One of the political figure's first executive orders aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration represents how little it can be impactful if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content celebrations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the realities of the contemporary world. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is required. A university professor, a prof at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just do away with observances such as Black History Month completely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an era that has not worked.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an framework that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out through the year (as certain organizations are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not shy away from politics, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What use is basic knowledge of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Organizations who mark it should not be reassured with the passive language of hidden discrimination and awareness of subtle slights, but challenged by the dangers that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and adaptive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is required – Black History is Now Month.
