This commemorative month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an observance that was initiated as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate gatherings where individuals of African heritage are paid to talk to white audiences about hidden biases and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Month
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in winter, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has evolved since those days, focusing less on the narratives of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and more on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the method the observance is observed is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month more than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a elected representative gains confidence to state that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, far-right parties are growing in the EU as a whole.
In the America, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, often successfully, to the highest courts of the state. A campaign to remove the history of people of color and legacy from the archives is under way. One of the former president's first executive orders aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the observance represents how insufficiently it can be effective if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the realities of the current era. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just eliminate things like Black History Month altogether, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an era that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an foundation 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 dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as various establishments are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not evade politics, and leaves space for people, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be comforted with the passive language of implicit prejudice and alertness to minor insults, but challenged by the threats that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and reactive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
