Black History Month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an celebration that was initiated as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has taken on a commercial tone, expanding to include functions where Black people are paid to talk to Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the Britain, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has transformed since that time, focusing less on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and more on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it develops is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. 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 situation where a member of parliament feels empowered to say that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are surging in the EU as a entirety.
In the US, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the state. A effort to remove Black history and experience from the historical documents is under way. One of the political figure's first executive orders focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the month illustrates how minimally it can be effective if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content commemorations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the conditions of the present. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is needed. A university professor, a professor at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden actions 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 events including Black History Month entirely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an era that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an foundation that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. 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 new dynamic Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out across all seasons (as various establishments are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not avoid governmental matters, and provides room for citizens, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What value has basic knowledge of the past when it fails to address the current situation of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Institutions who observe it should not be comforted with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the threats that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and reactive. Maybe an complete renaming is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
