The annual Black History observance acts as a gauge of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an celebration that began as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate events where Black people are paid to address white audiences about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The tide has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The period has transformed since that time, focusing less on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the celebration is commemorated is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament gains confidence to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in Europe as a entirety.
In the America, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the country. A drive to remove the history of people of color and experience from the records is ongoing. One of the former president's initial presidential directives focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the month illustrates how insufficiently it can be influential if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content commemorations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the conditions of the present. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is required. A university professor, a educator at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to alter, change and broaden actions for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just eliminate events including Black History Month entirely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an period that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an foundation that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and leaves space for individuals, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What use is mere awareness of the bygone era when it ignores the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Establishments who observe it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and alertness to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and reactive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.
