Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an celebration that was initiated as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has taken on a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate gatherings where Black people are remunerated to speak with white audiences about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry 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 History of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in the second month, but also in October in the UK, Deutschland, Éire and the Holland.
The month has transformed since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and more on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the observance is commemorated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it evolves is a valuable example in how co-option leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the current time in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels emboldened to state that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the EU as a entirety.
In the United States, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A drive to remove Black history and experience from the archives is ongoing. One of the political figure's first executive orders targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration illustrates how little it can be effective if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than addressing the realities of the present. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is required. A university professor, a professor at an educational institution, put it best when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just do away with things like Black History Month altogether, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an time that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an infrastructure that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not avoid governmental matters, and leaves space for people, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Establishments who observe it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and alertness to “microaggressions”, but faced with the risks that affect everyone if anti-racism is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
