This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an celebration that started out as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has adopted a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate gatherings where African descendants are remunerated to talk to white audiences about hidden biases and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The tide has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Originally observed 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 second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has transformed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the narratives of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and more on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the method the month is celebrated is a indication of the current political situation. How it develops is a instructive case in how co-option leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the current time in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the summer we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels emboldened to state that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the European continent as a entirety.
In the US, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the nation. A drive to remove the history of people of color and legacy from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the observance illustrates how insufficiently it can be effective if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the situation of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its short period means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is needed. A university professor, a prof at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just discontinue things like Black History Month entirely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an era 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 – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), 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 across all seasons (as some institutions are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and provides room for citizens, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has simple recognition of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the street? Institutions who observe it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to subtle slights, but faced with the threats that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and adaptive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
