Black History Month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an event that started out as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include gatherings where African descendants are paid to talk to white audiences about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Month
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The month has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and more on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating 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 celebrated is a indication of the political moment. How it evolves is a instructive case in how co-option leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the current time in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the warmer months we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a elected representative feels emboldened to declare that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are expanding in Europe as a entirety.
In the United States, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A drive to erase the history of people of color and experience from the records is under way. One of the former president's early administrative commands targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the observance represents how minimally it can be effective if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized commemorations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the situation of the present. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is required. Denise Miller, a educator at an educational institution, put it best when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out 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 discontinue observances such as Black History Month completely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an period that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an foundation that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not evade politics, and leaves space for citizens, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What value has mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Institutions who celebrate it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and awareness of subtle slights, but faced with the dangers that impact society if anti-racism is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and reactive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is in order – Black History is Now Month.
