The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an event that began as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include functions where Black people are paid to speak with predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The surge has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in winter, but also in autumn in the UK, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has developed since those days, focusing less on the narratives of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and more on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the celebration is commemorated is a indication of the current political situation. How it progresses is a good lesson in how co-option leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the warmer months we saw the largest far-right rally in British history. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels emboldened to say that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, far-right parties are surging in the EU as a whole.
In the United States, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies 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 focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the situation of the present. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. An academic expert, a prof at a learning establishment, put it best when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month altogether, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an era that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an infrastructure that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not evade political issues, and leaves space for individuals, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is simple recognition of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who observe it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but faced with the dangers that affect everyone if anti-racism is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and adaptive. Maybe an complete renaming is in order – Black History is Now Month.
