This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a commercial tone, expanding to include events where Black people are compensated to address predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established 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 movement and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in October in the UK, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The observance has developed since that time, focusing less on the narratives of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the way the observance is celebrated is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the warmer months we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels empowered to say that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a source of worry. At the same time, far-right parties are expanding in Europe as a entirety.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the country. A campaign to erase the history of people of color and experience from the archives is under way. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration illustrates how little it can be effective if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered festivities of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the situation of the current era. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. An academic expert, a educator at University of Greenwich, put it best when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just do away with observances such as Black History Month completely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an time that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an foundation that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out across all seasons (as some institutions are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) included in school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not evade governmental matters, and provides room for individuals, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has mere awareness of the bygone era when it fails to address the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Institutions who celebrate it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the dangers that face all if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and adaptive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is required – Contemporary Black History Month.