Black History Month is a reflection of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an event that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate gatherings where Black people are remunerated to address predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The tide has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
First commemorated 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 a week of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since those days, giving reduced attention to the histories of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and increasingly on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the way the month is observed is a reflection of the current political situation. How it progresses is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the recent season we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a elected representative gains confidence to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, far-right parties are growing in Europe as a entirety.
In the US, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the country. A effort to remove Black history and legacy from the records is under way. One of the former president's initial presidential directives aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the observance symbolises how little it can be impactful if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the situation of the current era. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. An academic expert, a educator at a learning establishment, put it best when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a urge to just discontinue things like Black History Month entirely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an time that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an framework that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not shy away from governmental matters, and provides room for people, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What value has mere awareness of the past when it ignores the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Organizations who mark it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to minor insults, but challenged by the threats that affect everyone if anti-racism is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and reactive. It could be that an total re-identification is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
