The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an event that began as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate events where Black people are remunerated to address predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since its inception, focusing less on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and more on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the month is commemorated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it progresses is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament gains confidence to say that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in Europe as a whole.
In the America, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A effort to scrub African American heritage and narrative from the records is ongoing. One of the former president's first executive orders targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the month symbolises how minimally it can be influential if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the situation of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. A university professor, a prof at University of Greenwich, put it best when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, thinking 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 complete comprehensive structure and heritage of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out across all seasons (as some institutions are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not avoid governmental matters, and provides room for citizens, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What use is mere awareness of the past when it ignores the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Institutions who mark it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and alertness to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that impact society if anti-racism is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and reactive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
