This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an event that started out as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass functions where African descendants are remunerated to speak with predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The tide has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The month has evolved since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and more on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the celebration is celebrated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it evolves is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the current time in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we observed the largest far-right rally in British history. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels emboldened to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are growing in the EU as a whole.
In the United States, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the state. A campaign to remove the history of people of color and narrative from the archives is under way. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration symbolises how minimally it can be influential if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized commemorations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the situation of the current era. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. A university professor, a educator at University of Greenwich, put it best when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just do away with events including Black History Month altogether, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an time that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an foundation that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) included in educational programs. It would also be a period that does not evade governmental matters, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has simple recognition of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Organizations who observe it should not be pacified with the passive language of implicit prejudice and awareness of subtle slights, but challenged by the risks that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and responsive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
