Black History Month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an celebration that was initiated as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has developed a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate functions where individuals of African heritage are paid to speak with predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in February, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The month has transformed since those days, focusing less on the histories of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the month is celebrated is a reflection of the political moment. How it evolves is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the current time in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we observed the largest far-right rally in British history. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels empowered to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are surging in the European continent as a entirety.
In the America, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A campaign to erase Black history and experience from the records is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the observance illustrates how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered festivities of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the situation of the current era. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. An academic expert, a prof at University of Greenwich, put it best when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden actions for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just do away with things like Black History Month completely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an period that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not avoid politics, and provides room for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves mere awareness of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Establishments who celebrate it should not be reassured with the passive language of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to minor insults, but challenged by the risks that impact society if anti-racism is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and reactive. Maybe an total re-identification is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
