The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an event that started out as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include events where African descendants are paid to address predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History 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 Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in February, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Deutschland, Ireland and the Holland.
The month has evolved since those days, giving reduced attention to the histories of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the month is observed is a indication of the political moment. How it develops is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how important it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the current time in which it falls this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the warmer months we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a legislator feels empowered to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, far-right parties are expanding in Europe as a entirety.
In the America, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A drive to erase African American heritage and legacy from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the observance represents how minimally it can be impactful if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content festivities of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the conditions of the present. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is required. An academic expert, a prof at a learning establishment, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand efforts 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 observances such as Black History Month entirely, believing 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 complete comprehensive structure and tradition of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an foundation that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not shy away from political issues, and leaves space for citizens, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has basic knowledge of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Organizations who observe it should not be pacified with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to subtle slights, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and reactive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
