The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an observance that started out as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has adopted a corporate feel, growing to encompass gatherings where African descendants are remunerated to address Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The surge has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Month
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in the second month, but also in October in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The period has transformed since that time, placing less emphasis on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and more on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the observance is observed is a indication of the political moment. How it progresses is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the current time in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we saw the largest far-right rally in British history. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a legislator feels emboldened to declare that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a source of worry. At the same time, far-right parties are expanding in the EU as a whole.
In the US, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the country. A effort to scrub the history of people of color and narrative from the historical documents is in progress. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the month illustrates how little it can be impactful if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the situation of the current era. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. An academic expert, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a urge to just do away with events including Black History Month completely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an time that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an foundation that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed 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 shy away from governmental matters, and provides room for people, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What use is basic knowledge of the bygone era when it ignores the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Establishments who observe it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and awareness of “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that affect everyone if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and responsive. It could be that an complete renaming is required – Black History is Now Month.