The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an event that started out as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has developed a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include events where individuals of African heritage are paid to address white audiences about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the Britain, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the histories of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and greater focus on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the observance is observed is a reflection of the current political situation. How it progresses is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels empowered to declare that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in Europe as a complete entity.
In the United States, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A effort to erase the history of people of color and experience from the historical documents is under way. One of the former president's first executive orders aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the month symbolises how insufficiently it can be influential if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the conditions of the present. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. Denise Miller, a prof at an educational institution, put it best when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just do away with observances such as Black History Month entirely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an period that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an foundation that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not avoid politics, and provides room for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What value has basic knowledge of the past when it ignores the present reality of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Establishments who celebrate it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and alertness to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and reactive. It could be that an total re-identification is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
