Black History Month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an observance that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include events where Black people are paid to speak with Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The surge has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since its inception, placing less emphasis on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and more on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the observance is commemorated is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the recent season we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels emboldened to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a source of worry. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the EU as a complete entity.
In the United States, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A drive to erase Black history and legacy from the archives is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the month illustrates how little it can be influential if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered celebrations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the conditions of the present. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. A university professor, a educator at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend actions for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a urge to just eliminate events including Black History Month entirely, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an period that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an infrastructure that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not evade political issues, and provides room for people, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has mere awareness of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Institutions who celebrate it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and alertness to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the risks that impact society if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and reactive. Perhaps an complete renaming is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
