Black History Month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an observance that began as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has developed a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate functions where Black people are paid to talk to white audiences about hidden biases and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The wave has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was formally inaugurated 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 Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The observance has transformed since that time, giving reduced attention to the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the month is observed is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels emboldened to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, far-right parties are growing in the European continent as a whole.
In the US, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A effort to erase African American heritage and narrative from the historical documents is under way. One of the former president's initial presidential directives aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the month symbolises how minimally it can be effective if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content festivities of historical achievements, rather than challenging the conditions of the current era. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to alter, change and broaden actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just do away with events including Black History Month completely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an period that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an foundation that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as various establishments are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not shy away from governmental matters, and leaves space for people, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What value has basic knowledge of the history when it ignores the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Establishments who mark it should not be comforted with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but faced with the risks that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and reactive. Maybe an complete renaming is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
