This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, 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 international African diaspora communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass events where Black people are compensated to address white audiences about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Éire and the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since its inception, giving reduced attention to the histories of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the input 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 observance is commemorated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it develops is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Few things illustrate how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we observed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a legislator feels empowered to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are growing in Europe as a whole.
In the America, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the state. A drive to scrub the history of people of color and narrative from the historical documents is in progress. One of the political figure's first executive orders targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the month represents how minimally it can be influential if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered festivities of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the realities of the current era. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is required. A university professor, a professor at University of Greenwich, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a urge to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an time that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an infrastructure that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not evade politics, and provides room for individuals, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What use is mere awareness of the history when it fails to address the present reality of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Organizations who celebrate it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and alertness to subtle slights, but confronted with the risks that face all if anti-racism is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and reactive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
