Black History Month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an celebration that started out as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate gatherings where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to talk to white audiences about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, Deutschland, Ireland and the Holland.
The month has transformed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the observance is celebrated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the summer we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a elected representative feels empowered 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 expanding in Europe as a entirety.
In the US, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A effort to erase Black history and experience from the records is in progress. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the observance symbolises how little it can be effective if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered celebrations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the realities of the current era. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. A university professor, a prof at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an period that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an framework that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out across all seasons (as various establishments are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not avoid politics, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What use is mere awareness of the history when it fails to address the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Institutions who observe it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that impact society if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and responsive. Maybe an complete renaming is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.