This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an celebration that started out as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate gatherings where Black people are compensated to address Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement 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 UK, Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The month has evolved since those days, focusing less on the narratives of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the impact 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 celebration is commemorated is a reflection of the political moment. How it progresses is a valuable example in how co-option leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the recent season we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a legislator feels emboldened to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the EU as a complete entity.
In the United States, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A effort to scrub African American heritage and narrative from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the former president's initial presidential directives focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration symbolises how little it can be influential if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the situation of the present. It also reveals how its short period means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is required. An academic expert, a professor at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend actions for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just eliminate things like Black History Month altogether, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an era that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an framework that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out through the year (as various establishments are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not avoid governmental matters, and provides room for people, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What use is mere awareness of the bygone era when it ignores the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Establishments who mark it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that affect everyone if anti-racism is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and responsive. It could be that an total re-identification is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
