The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an observance that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has adopted a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate events where individuals of African heritage are compensated to speak with predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days 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 North America in the second month, but also in October in the UK, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since those days, giving reduced attention to the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and greater focus on notable African descendants 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 frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the celebration is commemorated is a indication of the political moment. How it evolves is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the current time in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the recent season we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. 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 feels emboldened to say that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a source of worry. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are surging in the European continent as a whole.
In the America, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, often successfully, to the highest courts of the nation. A drive to remove Black history and experience from the archives is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the month illustrates how little it can be effective if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized commemorations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the situation of the present. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a prof at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just discontinue events including Black History Month entirely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an era that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not evade politics, and provides room for citizens, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Organizations who celebrate it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and awareness of minor insults, but confronted with the threats that impact society if anti-racism is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and adaptive. Maybe an total re-identification is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.