Black History Month is a reflection of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an celebration that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has taken on a corporate feel, growing to encompass functions where African descendants are compensated to address Caucasian groups about hidden biases and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in winter, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has developed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the recent season we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a elected representative gains confidence to state that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in Europe as a whole.
In the America, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A drive to remove the history of people of color and experience from the records is under way. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the month represents how insufficiently it can be influential if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content festivities of historical achievements, rather than challenging 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 required. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a inclination to just eliminate events including Black History Month completely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an era that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an infrastructure that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not evade political issues, and provides room for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What use is simple recognition of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of far-right rallies in the street? Institutions who observe it should not be pacified with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the threats that impact society if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. Maybe an complete renaming is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
