Black History Month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an event that started out as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a commercial tone, expanding to include functions where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to talk to white audiences about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The tide has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Celebration
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in winter, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has developed since those days, focusing less on the narratives of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the month is observed is a reflection of the political moment. How it develops is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels emboldened to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a source of worry. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are expanding in the EU as a complete entity.
In the United States, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the state. A drive to scrub the history of people of color and legacy from the historical documents is in progress. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the month represents how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the situation of the current era. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is required. A university professor, a professor at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a urge to just eliminate events including Black History Month altogether, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an period that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an foundation that a considerable labor has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not evade governmental matters, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Organizations who celebrate it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and awareness of subtle slights, but challenged by the risks that face all if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. Maybe an total re-identification is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
