The annual Black History observance acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an observance that started out as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has taken on a corporate feel, growing to encompass gatherings where Black people are remunerated to speak with white audiences about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The surge has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has developed since those days, focusing less on the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the celebration is celebrated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it progresses is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the current time in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels emboldened to state that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the EU as a entirety.
In the United States, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A effort to erase Black history and legacy from the historical documents is in progress. One of the political figure's first executive orders targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the month illustrates how little it can be influential if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content celebrations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the realities of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is needed. Denise Miller, a prof at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to alter, change and broaden efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just do away with things like Black History Month altogether, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an period that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an infrastructure that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic 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 beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not shy away from politics, and leaves space for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Establishments who mark it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to minor insults, but faced with the threats that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and reactive. Maybe an total re-identification is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
