The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an observance that started out as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass events where African descendants are compensated to speak with predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The surge has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in February, but also in October in the UK, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has developed since those days, focusing less on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the month is commemorated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it progresses is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it falls 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 largest far-right rally in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels empowered to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the European continent as a entirety.
In the America, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the country. A drive to remove Black history and experience from the archives is in progress. One of the political figure's first executive orders aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the situation of the current era. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. A university professor, a prof at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just do away with observances such as Black History Month altogether, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an period that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an framework that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out through the year (as various establishments are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not shy away from political issues, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What use is mere awareness of the bygone era when it ignores the present reality of far-right rallies in the street? Institutions who observe it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and alertness to minor insults, but challenged by the threats that impact society if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and responsive. It could be that an complete renaming is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
