This commemorative month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an observance that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, growing to encompass functions where Black people are remunerated to speak with Caucasian groups about hidden biases and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The tide has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has transformed since that time, giving reduced attention to the narratives of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and increasingly on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the month is celebrated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it develops is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the current time in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a legislator gains confidence to say that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the EU as a whole.
In the America, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the country. A campaign to erase African American heritage and narrative from the archives is ongoing. One of the former president's first executive orders aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the observance illustrates how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the conditions of the present. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at a learning establishment, put it best when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just eliminate things like Black History Month entirely, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an period that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an foundation that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not evade political issues, and allows opportunity for people, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is basic knowledge of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Establishments who mark it should not be pacified with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the risks that face all if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and adaptive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
