Black History Month is a reflection of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an event that began as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a commercial tone, growing to encompass events where African descendants are compensated to speak with predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s 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 increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Month
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the middle 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, Éire and the Holland.
The observance has evolved since those days, giving reduced attention to the narratives of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and more on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the method the celebration is celebrated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month better than the current time in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament gains confidence to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, far-right parties are growing in Europe as a whole.
In the United States, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A campaign to remove African American heritage and narrative from the records is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the month symbolises how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content celebrations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the conditions of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. A university professor, a prof at a learning establishment, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just do away with observances such as Black History Month altogether, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an time that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an framework that a considerable labor has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out across all seasons (as various establishments are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and provides room for people, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has mere awareness of the bygone era when it ignores the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Establishments who celebrate it should not be comforted with the passive language of implicit prejudice and awareness of minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that face all if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and reactive. Maybe an total re-identification is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
