The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an event that began as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate events where individuals of African heritage are compensated to speak with Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The tide has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, Deutschland, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has evolved since that time, giving reduced attention to the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and increasingly on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the observance is commemorated is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how critical it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we saw the largest far-right rally in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels emboldened to state that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Simultaneously, far-right parties are expanding in the EU as a complete entity.
In the United States, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the state. A campaign to erase African American heritage and narrative from the records is under way. One of the political figure's early administrative commands aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the celebration symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized commemorations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the conditions of the current era. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is needed. Denise Miller, a educator at University of Greenwich, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just eliminate things like Black History Month altogether, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an time that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an foundation that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not shy away from political issues, and allows opportunity for people, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves simple recognition of the bygone era when it ignores the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Institutions who celebrate it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the risks that face all if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and reactive. It could be that an total re-identification is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
