Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an celebration that began as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a corporate feel, growing to encompass events where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to talk to Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The wave has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Celebration
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 seven days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and increasingly on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the month is celebrated is a indication of the political moment. How it evolves is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a legislator feels emboldened to state that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a source of worry. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the EU as a entirety.
In the United States, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A drive to erase African American heritage and experience from the archives is in progress. One of the former president's initial presidential directives targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the observance symbolises how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the situation of the current era. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is required. An academic expert, a prof at an educational institution, put it best when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand actions for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a urge to just do away with observances such as Black History Month altogether, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an time that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an infrastructure that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not shy away from politics, and provides room for people, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What value has basic knowledge of the history when it fails to address the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the street? Establishments who celebrate it should not be comforted with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the threats that face all if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and reactive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
