Black History Month serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an celebration that began as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a corporate feel, expanding to include functions where individuals of African heritage are paid to talk to predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The tide has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in February, but also in autumn in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since its inception, giving reduced attention to the narratives of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and more on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the celebration is celebrated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Few things illustrate how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a legislator feels emboldened to declare that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Meanwhile, far-right parties are expanding in Europe as a whole.
In the America, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A effort to remove African American heritage and experience from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the month symbolises how insufficiently it can be effective if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the situation of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. An academic expert, a prof at University of Greenwich, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just do away with events including Black History Month altogether, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an era that has not worked.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an foundation that a significant effort has been invested in. 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 fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as various establishments are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not shy away from governmental matters, and provides room for individuals, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has basic knowledge of the bygone era when it fails to address the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Establishments who celebrate it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and awareness of subtle slights, but faced with the dangers that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and adaptive. Perhaps an complete renaming is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
