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 rethink. Over the years, an event that began as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate functions where individuals of African heritage are compensated to speak with white audiences about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in October in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has transformed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the accounts of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the observance is observed is a indication of the political moment. How it develops is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the warmer months we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a legislator feels emboldened to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a source of worry. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are growing in the EU as a complete entity.
In the United States, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the nation. A campaign to scrub Black history and narrative from the archives is ongoing. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the observance symbolises how little it can be influential if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than challenging the realities of the present. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. An academic expert, a prof at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just discontinue things like Black History Month altogether, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an time that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an foundation that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as various establishments are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not shy away from governmental matters, and provides room for individuals, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What value has simple recognition of the bygone era when it ignores the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Organizations who mark it should not be pacified with the passive language of implicit prejudice and alertness to minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that affect everyone if anti-racism is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and responsive. Maybe an total re-identification is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
