This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an observance that began as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has taken on a corporate feel, expanding to include events where individuals of African heritage are compensated to talk to Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The surge has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Month
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The period has developed since those days, giving reduced attention to the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and greater focus on influential individuals of color 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 manner the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a instructive case in how co-option leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels emboldened to state that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, far-right parties are expanding in Europe as a complete entity.
In the United States, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the country. A campaign to remove African American heritage and narrative from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the former president's first executive orders focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the month symbolises how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the conditions of the present. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is needed. Denise Miller, a prof at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just do away with things like Black History Month entirely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an time that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an framework that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not shy away from governmental matters, and provides room for citizens, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What use is mere awareness of the bygone era when it ignores the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Establishments who observe it should not be pacified with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to subtle slights, but confronted with the dangers that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and responsive. Perhaps an total re-identification is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
