Black History Month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an celebration that began as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a commercial tone, expanding to include events where Black people are remunerated to address white audiences about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The tide has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has transformed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and more on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the observance is observed is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the summer we observed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a legislator gains confidence to declare that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are surging in the European continent as a entirety.
In the US, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A campaign to scrub Black history and legacy from the archives is under way. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the month represents how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the realities of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is required. An academic expert, a prof at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just do away with things like Black History Month completely, thinking 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 tradition of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an foundation that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out across all seasons (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not shy away from politics, and leaves space for people, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What value has mere awareness of the history when it fails to address the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Organizations who celebrate it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and awareness of “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is necessary – Black History is Now Month.