Black History Month is a reflection of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an celebration that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has developed a corporate feel, growing to encompass events where African descendants are remunerated to address Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The wave has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in February, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The month has transformed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and more on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the celebration is commemorated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it develops is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a legislator feels empowered to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, far-right parties are growing in the European continent as a whole.
In the United States, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A campaign to erase African American heritage and narrative from the records is under way. One of the former president's initial presidential directives focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be influential if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the realities of the present. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is required. Denise Miller, a professor at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a urge to just do away with things like Black History Month altogether, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an time that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an framework that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed through the year (as some institutions are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not avoid politics, and provides room for citizens, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Organizations who mark it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and alertness to subtle slights, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if anti-racism is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and adaptive. Maybe an complete renaming is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
