The annual Black History observance acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate gatherings where individuals of African heritage are paid to address predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The wave has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the Britain, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has developed since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the observance is commemorated is a reflection of the political moment. How it evolves is a instructive case in how co-option leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the current time in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the recent season we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels empowered to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, far-right parties are surging in the European continent as a entirety.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the nation. A drive to erase Black history and legacy from the records is in progress. One of the former president's first executive orders focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration illustrates how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered festivities of historical achievements, rather than challenging the realities of the contemporary world. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is required. An academic expert, a prof at a learning establishment, put it best when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just do away with events including Black History Month entirely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an period that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not avoid governmental matters, and leaves space for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the bygone era when it ignores the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Institutions who celebrate it should not be comforted with the passive language of hidden discrimination and awareness of “microaggressions”, but challenged by the risks that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and responsive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is in order – Black History is Now Month.
