This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has taken on a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate events where African descendants are remunerated to talk to Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Month
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has transformed since those days, giving reduced attention to the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and more on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the celebration is commemorated is a reflection of the political moment. How it evolves is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the current time in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the summer we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels empowered to state that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. At the same time, far-right parties are growing in the European continent as a entirety.
In the United States, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the country. A effort to scrub the history of people of color and experience from the archives is under way. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the realities of the present. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to alter, change and broaden actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just eliminate things like Black History Month completely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an period that has not worked.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an framework that a considerable labor has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not evade politics, and leaves space for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What use is mere awareness of the bygone era when it fails to address the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Organizations who celebrate it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and awareness of minor insults, but faced with the threats that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and adaptive. It could be that an complete renaming is in order – Black History is Now Month.
