This commemorative month 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 Britain, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an celebration that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has taken on a commercial tone, expanding to include functions where African descendants are remunerated to speak with predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. 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 established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has developed since its inception, focusing less on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and more on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the celebration is observed is a reflection of the political moment. How it progresses is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month more than the current time in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels empowered to say that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the European continent as a whole.
In the America, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A drive to remove Black history and narrative from the archives is under way. One of the former president's initial presidential directives focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the observance symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered celebrations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the realities of the present. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is required. A university professor, a prof at University of Greenwich, put it best when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just do away with things like Black History Month entirely, 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 complete comprehensive structure and legacy of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an framework that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), 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 across all seasons (as certain organizations are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not evade governmental matters, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What value has mere awareness of the history when it ignores the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Institutions who mark it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and awareness of “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and reactive. Perhaps an complete renaming is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
