Black History Month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an event that began as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate gatherings where individuals of African heritage are compensated to talk to white audiences about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has developed since those days, placing less emphasis on the histories of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and more on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the impact 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 method the celebration is observed is a indication of the political moment. How it evolves is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the objective 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 reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the summer we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, 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 emboldened to declare that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are surging in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the United States, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A effort to scrub the history of people of color and narrative from the records is ongoing. One of the former president's early administrative commands focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the observance illustrates how little it can be impactful if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered festivities of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the realities of the present. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is needed. An academic expert, a educator at a learning establishment, put it best when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just eliminate events including Black History Month altogether, 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 heritage of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an framework that a considerable labor has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out across all seasons (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not shy away from politics, and provides room for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who mark it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and alertness to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that face all if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and adaptive. It could be that an complete renaming is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
