The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an celebration that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate functions where Black people are remunerated to talk to white audiences about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The surge has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked 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 observance has transformed since that time, focusing less on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the celebration is commemorated is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a valuable example in how co-option leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the recent season we observed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a legislator gains confidence to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are surging in Europe as a complete entity.
In the United States, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A drive to remove African American heritage and narrative from the archives is in progress. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the month illustrates how insufficiently it can be influential if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content commemorations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the conditions of the current era. It also reveals how its short period means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The difficulty 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 catalyst for change.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month entirely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an era that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an infrastructure that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not avoid political issues, and provides room for people, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Establishments who observe it should not be pacified with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to subtle slights, but confronted with the risks that impact society if anti-racism is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and reactive. Maybe an complete renaming is in order – Black History is Now Month.
