The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has developed a corporate feel, expanding to include functions where Black people are remunerated to speak with Caucasian groups about hidden biases and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, Deutschland, Ireland and the Holland.
The month has developed since those days, giving reduced attention to the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the way the celebration is observed is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a legislator feels empowered to state that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are surging in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the US, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the country. A drive to erase Black history and narrative from the records is in progress. One of the political figure's first executive orders aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be influential if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content commemorations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the conditions of the present. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is required. Denise Miller, a prof at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just do away with observances such as Black History Month completely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an period that has failed to deliver.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an infrastructure that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed through the year (as some institutions are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not avoid governmental matters, and leaves space for individuals, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What use is mere awareness of the history when it ignores the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and awareness of “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that affect everyone if anti-racism is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and responsive. It could be that an complete renaming is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
