Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an observance that began as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a corporate feel, growing to encompass functions where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to speak with predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The tide has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Month
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from 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 UK, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The month has developed since those days, placing less emphasis on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the political moment. How it evolves is a instructive case in how co-option leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how critical it is to rethink Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the recent season we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels empowered to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a source of worry. Meanwhile, far-right parties are expanding in the EU as a whole.
In the United States, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A drive to erase the history of people of color and narrative from the records is in progress. One of the former president's initial presidential directives targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the month represents how minimally it can be impactful if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content commemorations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the conditions of the present. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is required. A university professor, a prof at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just do away with observances such as Black History Month entirely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an era that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an infrastructure that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not shy away from political issues, and leaves space for citizens, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What value has simple recognition of the bygone era when it ignores the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Establishments who celebrate it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but faced with the threats that face all if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and adaptive. Maybe an total re-identification is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
