This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an event that started out as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a corporate feel, growing to encompass events where African descendants are compensated to address predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The tide has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in the second month, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since its inception, focusing less on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the celebration is celebrated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a valuable example in how co-option leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels emboldened to declare that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the European continent as a whole.
In the United States, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the state. A effort to erase African American heritage and experience from the archives is in progress. One of the former president's early administrative commands targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be effective if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the realities of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its short period means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is required. An academic expert, a prof at University of Greenwich, put it best when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just discontinue things like Black History Month altogether, believing they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an period that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an foundation that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed through the year (as some institutions are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) included in educational programs. It would also be a time that does not evade political issues, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What value has mere awareness of the history when it ignores the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Organizations who celebrate it should not be comforted with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and awareness of subtle slights, but faced with the threats that face all if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and reactive. Maybe an complete renaming is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
