This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an celebration that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has developed a commercial tone, growing to encompass events where Black people are compensated to talk to Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The surge has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The month has developed since those days, focusing less on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we saw the largest far-right rally in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels emboldened to say that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the United States, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A effort to remove African American heritage and experience from the historical documents is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the celebration illustrates how insufficiently it can be influential if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered festivities of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the realities of the current era. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is required. An academic expert, a educator at University of Greenwich, put it best when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just do away with observances such as Black History Month altogether, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an period that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an foundation that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not shy away from political issues, and provides room for individuals, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves mere awareness of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Organizations who celebrate it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and awareness of subtle slights, but challenged by the dangers that impact society if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and adaptive. Perhaps an total re-identification is in order – Black History is Now Month.
