The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an observance that started out as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has taken on a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate gatherings where African descendants are paid to speak with Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The surge has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in October in the Britain, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The month has evolved since those days, giving reduced attention to the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the observance is commemorated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the current time in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the summer we observed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels empowered to say that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the EU as a entirety.
In the America, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A campaign to scrub the history of people of color and experience from the archives is in progress. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the month symbolises how minimally it can be impactful if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content festivities of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the realities of the present. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. An academic expert, a educator at University of Greenwich, put it best when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden actions for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just eliminate events including Black History Month altogether, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an time that has not worked.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an infrastructure that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
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 distributed through the year (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not evade political issues, and leaves space for citizens, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What use is simple recognition of the past when it fails to address the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the street? Establishments who mark it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and awareness of minor insults, but faced with the risks that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and responsive. Perhaps an complete renaming is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
