The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an observance that started out as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass gatherings where Black people are paid to talk to Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The surge has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has developed since those days, placing less emphasis on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the observance is observed is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it progresses is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a legislator feels emboldened to declare that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are surging in the EU as a entirety.
In the America, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the country. A drive to erase the history of people of color and narrative from the historical documents is under way. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the month symbolises how minimally it can be impactful if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered festivities of historical achievements, rather than challenging the situation of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its short period means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. Denise Miller, a prof at a learning establishment, put it best when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand actions for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just eliminate things like Black History Month altogether, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an time that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an foundation that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not shy away from political issues, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has simple recognition of the bygone era when it ignores the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Organizations who observe it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the risks that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and adaptive. Maybe an total re-identification is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
