This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an celebration that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a corporate feel, growing to encompass events where individuals of African heritage are paid to address Caucasian groups about hidden biases and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, 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 middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in the second month, but also in autumn in the Britain, Deutschland, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has developed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the histories of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to mold society. 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 indication of the current political situation. How it develops is a valuable example in how co-option leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the current time in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a member of parliament gains confidence to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a reason for concern. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are growing in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the United States, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the nation. A campaign to scrub the history of people of color and legacy from the archives is under way. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration symbolises how minimally it can be effective if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized celebrations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the situation of the current era. It also reveals how its short period means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is required. A university professor, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just do away with things like Black History Month entirely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an period that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an framework that a considerable labor has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out through the year (as some institutions are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not evade governmental matters, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What value has basic knowledge of the past when it fails to address the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Organizations who mark it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and awareness of minor insults, but faced with the dangers that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and adaptive. It could be that an total re-identification is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
