Black History Month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an event that started out as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has developed a commercial tone, expanding to include events where Black people are remunerated to talk to predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created 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 initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in February, but also in October in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since its inception, focusing less on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and more on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the month is celebrated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a instructive case in how co-option leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how critical it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the summer we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a member of parliament gains confidence to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, far-right parties are expanding in Europe as a entirety.
In the US, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A effort to scrub Black history and narrative from the historical documents is under way. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the month represents how minimally it can be effective if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the situation of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is needed. An academic expert, a educator at a learning establishment, put it best when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden efforts for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just discontinue things like Black History Month entirely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an time that has failed to deliver.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an infrastructure that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed through the year (as various establishments are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not evade political issues, and leaves space for people, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What value has basic knowledge of the bygone era when it fails to address the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Establishments who celebrate it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and alertness to minor insults, but challenged by the risks that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and reactive. It could be that an total re-identification is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
