This commemorative month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an event that began as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include gatherings where Black people are remunerated to talk to white audiences about hidden biases and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in February, but also in autumn in the UK, Deutschland, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has transformed since its inception, focusing less on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the month is observed is a reflection of the political moment. How it progresses is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how important it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the recent season we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels empowered to state that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in Europe as a whole.
In the America, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A effort to remove African American heritage and narrative from the archives is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the celebration symbolises how minimally it can be impactful if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered commemorations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the situation of the present. It also shows how its short period means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is needed. Denise Miller, a professor at a learning establishment, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend actions for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just do away with observances such as Black History Month entirely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an time 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 yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an infrastructure that a considerable labor has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in educational programs. It would also be a period that does not shy away from political issues, and provides room for people, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What value has basic knowledge of the past when it fails to address the present reality of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Establishments who mark it should not be comforted with the passive language of implicit prejudice and alertness to minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that affect everyone if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and adaptive. It could be that an total re-identification is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
