This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an event that began as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has adopted a corporate feel, growing to encompass functions where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to talk to Caucasian groups about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The tide has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The observance has developed since its inception, focusing less on the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and greater focus on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the month is celebrated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a elected representative gains confidence to say that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a source of worry. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the EU as a whole.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A campaign to erase the history of people of color and legacy from the archives is in progress. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the observance symbolises how little it can be effective if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized celebrations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the conditions of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is required. A university professor, a professor at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just eliminate things like Black History Month entirely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an period that has failed to deliver.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an foundation that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not shy away from politics, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What use is simple recognition of the past when it fails to address the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Institutions who celebrate it should not be reassured with the passive language of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to minor insults, but faced with the risks that face all if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and reactive. Perhaps an complete renaming is in order – Black History is Now Month.
