The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an event that began as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has taken on a corporate feel, expanding to include events where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to talk to white audiences about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The wave has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, 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 evolved from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in February, but also in autumn in the UK, Deutschland, Éire and the Netherlands.
The period has developed since that time, focusing less on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and greater focus on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the month is observed is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how important it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the current time in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a legislator feels empowered to declare that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, far-right parties are growing in Europe as a entirety.
In the America, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, often successfully, to the highest courts of the nation. A campaign to scrub the history of people of color and legacy from the historical documents is under way. One of the former president's first executive orders targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the observance represents how minimally it can be effective if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized commemorations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the situation of the present. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden initiatives 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 entirely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an period that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, 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 – form an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed through the year (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not avoid politics, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What value has basic knowledge of the past when it ignores the present reality of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Establishments who observe it should not be comforted with the passive language of implicit prejudice and alertness to minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that face all if anti-racism is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and reactive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
