The annual Black History observance acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an celebration that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate gatherings where African descendants are paid to talk to Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has developed since those days, focusing less on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and more on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the celebration is observed is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the warmer months we witnessed the largest far-right rally in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament gains confidence to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, far-right parties are expanding in the European continent as a whole.
In the US, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A effort to scrub Black history and narrative from the archives is in progress. One of the former president's early administrative commands focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration illustrates how insufficiently it can be influential if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the conditions of the current era. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. An academic expert, a educator at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just discontinue events including Black History Month altogether, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an era that has not worked.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an framework that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out across all seasons (as certain organizations are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not evade governmental matters, and allows opportunity for people, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has basic knowledge of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Organizations who celebrate it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and awareness of “microaggressions”, but confronted with the risks that face all if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is in order – Black History is Now Month.
