Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an observance that started out as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has developed a corporate feel, expanding to include functions where Black people are compensated to address predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The wave has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The observance has developed since that time, focusing less on the histories of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the way the celebration is commemorated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it develops is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the warmer months we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels emboldened to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, far-right parties are surging in Europe as a whole.
In the United States, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A campaign to scrub Black history and narrative from the records is in progress. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the observance illustrates how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the conditions of the contemporary world. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. A university professor, a educator at an educational institution, put it best when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month entirely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an time that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an infrastructure that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out across all seasons (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) included in educational programs. It would also be a period that does not shy away from political issues, and provides room for people, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What use is mere awareness of the past when it ignores the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Organizations who celebrate it should not be reassured with the passive language of hidden discrimination and awareness of “microaggressions”, but confronted with the threats that impact society if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and adaptive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
