Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an celebration that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, growing to encompass functions where Black people are compensated to address Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The tide has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign 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 the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has developed since that time, placing less emphasis on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the celebration is observed is a indication of the current political situation. How it evolves is a good lesson in how co-option leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the warmer months we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a legislator feels empowered to state that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in Europe as a entirety.
In the America, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A campaign to erase Black history and legacy from the records is under way. One of the former president's first executive orders aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be influential if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the conditions of the current era. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a educator at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns 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 transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a urge to just do away with things like Black History Month altogether, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an time that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an framework that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed across all seasons (as some institutions are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and provides room for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What value has basic knowledge of the bygone era when it fails to address the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Establishments who celebrate it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the risks that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and reactive. Perhaps an complete renaming is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
