Black History Month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an observance that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate events where African descendants are paid to speak with white audiences about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The surge has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the Britain, Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The month has developed since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the celebration is commemorated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the transformation 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 reevaluate Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the summer we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a member of parliament gains confidence to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are growing in the European continent as a entirety.
In the US, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A effort to erase Black history and legacy from the historical documents is under way. One of the former president's first executive orders aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the celebration symbolises how insufficiently it can be influential if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered festivities of historical achievements, rather than challenging the conditions of the present. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is needed. Denise Miller, a prof at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a urge to just do away with observances such as Black History Month entirely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an period that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an infrastructure that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (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 extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out across all seasons (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not evade politics, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What use is basic knowledge of the bygone era when it fails to address the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Organizations who observe it should not be comforted with the passive language of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to subtle slights, but challenged by the threats that impact society if anti-racism is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and responsive. Maybe an total re-identification is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
