The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an event that started out as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a commercial tone, expanding to include functions where African descendants are paid to talk to predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The tide has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Month
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the UK, Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has developed since that time, placing less emphasis on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and greater focus on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the celebration is observed is a reflection of the current political situation. How it develops is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels emboldened to state that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. At the same time, far-right parties are growing in the EU as a entirety.
In the America, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, often successfully, to the highest courts of the nation. A effort to erase African American heritage and narrative from the archives is in progress. One of the political figure's early administrative commands focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the celebration symbolises how little it can be impactful if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the conditions of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is required. A university professor, a professor at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month completely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an period that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an foundation that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
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 dispersed through the year (as some institutions are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a time that does not shy away from political issues, and provides room for individuals, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves simple recognition of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Organizations who mark it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and awareness of subtle slights, but faced with the risks that impact society if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and responsive. Maybe an total re-identification is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
