This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an celebration that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate functions where African descendants are remunerated to address Caucasian groups about hidden biases and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the Britain, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has developed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the narratives of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and more on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the observance is observed is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it progresses is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the warmer months we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering 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 elected representative feels empowered to state that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are surging in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A effort to erase African American heritage and narrative from the archives is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the month illustrates how little it can be effective if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the conditions of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its short period means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. A university professor, a educator at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just do away with events including Black History Month completely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an era that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an foundation that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out through the year (as some institutions are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in educational programs. It would also be a time that does not evade political issues, and provides room for citizens, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves mere awareness of the history when it fails to address the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Establishments who mark it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and alertness to “microaggressions”, but faced with the risks that face all if anti-racism is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and adaptive. Perhaps an complete renaming is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
