The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the political moment, 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 reassessment. Over the years, an event that began as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a commercial tone, growing to encompass gatherings where individuals of African heritage are compensated to address white audiences about hidden biases and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in winter, but also in autumn in the UK, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The period has transformed since that time, focusing less on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and increasingly on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the way the month is commemorated is a indication of the current political situation. How it develops is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the current time in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the recent season we witnessed the largest far-right rally in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a member of parliament gains confidence to declare that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in Europe as a complete entity.
In the America, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the state. A campaign to erase Black history and narrative from the records 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 coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration represents how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized festivities of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the conditions of the current era. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is needed. A university professor, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month altogether, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an era that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) included in educational programs. It would also be a time that does not avoid governmental matters, and leaves space for people, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What value has basic knowledge of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Organizations who mark it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and awareness of minor insults, but faced with the dangers that impact society if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and responsive. Maybe an total re-identification is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
