This commemorative month is a reflection of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an event that started out as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a corporate feel, expanding to include functions where African descendants are paid to speak with predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The wave has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has transformed since that time, focusing less on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and more on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the month is commemorated is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the current time in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a legislator gains confidence to say that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the EU as a entirety.
In the America, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the state. A campaign to remove the history of people of color and narrative from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the former president's initial presidential directives aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the month represents how insufficiently it can be effective if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content festivities of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the conditions of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. A university professor, a professor at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month completely, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an era that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an foundation that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not avoid governmental matters, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is mere awareness of the past when it fails to address the current situation of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Establishments who mark it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to subtle slights, but confronted with the risks that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and responsive. It could be that an complete renaming is in order – Black History is Now Month.
