The annual Black History observance acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an celebration that began as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a commercial tone, expanding to include events where African descendants are remunerated to address white audiences about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The wave has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in the second month, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The month has evolved since those days, focusing less on the accounts of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner 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 dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels emboldened to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, far-right parties are surging in Europe as a entirety.
In the United States, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, often successfully, to the highest courts of the country. A campaign to erase Black history and narrative from the archives is in progress. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the month symbolises how insufficiently it can be effective if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the realities of the present. It also shows how its short period means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. An academic expert, a prof at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just eliminate events including Black History Month completely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an time that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an framework that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed through the year (as some institutions are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not avoid politics, and leaves space for citizens, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What use is simple recognition of the history when it ignores the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Institutions who mark it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and awareness of “microaggressions”, but faced with the risks that face all if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and reactive. Maybe an total re-identification is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
