The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it seems 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 adopted a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include functions where African descendants are compensated to address Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The wave has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has evolved since its inception, placing less emphasis on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the celebration is observed is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how important it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the current time in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the summer we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament gains confidence to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are expanding in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the America, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A effort to scrub Black history and narrative from the historical documents is under way. One of the former president's first executive orders focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration symbolises how little it can be impactful if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the situation of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its short period means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. Denise Miller, a educator at an educational institution, put it best when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an era that has failed to deliver.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an infrastructure that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a time that does not evade politics, and provides room for people, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is simple recognition of the past when it ignores the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Institutions who celebrate it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and awareness of subtle slights, but faced with the risks that face all if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and reactive. Perhaps an complete renaming is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
