This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an event that began as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a corporate feel, growing to encompass gatherings where Black people are remunerated to address Caucasian groups about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The wave has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Month
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Deutschland, Ireland and the Holland.
The period has evolved since that time, giving reduced attention to the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and more on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the method the month is celebrated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it develops is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the summer we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels emboldened to state that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a source of worry. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are growing in the EU as a entirety.
In the United States, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the state. A drive to remove African American heritage and experience from the historical documents is under way. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the observance symbolises how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized festivities of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the conditions of the present. It also reveals how its short period means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is required. Denise Miller, a educator at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden actions for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a urge to just discontinue things like Black History Month entirely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an era that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an framework that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed across all seasons (as various establishments are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in educational programs. It would also be a time that does not avoid politics, and leaves space for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What use is simple recognition of the history when it ignores the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Organizations who celebrate it should not be comforted with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and awareness of “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that face all if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and adaptive. Perhaps an complete renaming is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
