The annual Black History observance acts as a gauge of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an celebration that started out as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass functions where African descendants are paid to speak with white audiences about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The surge has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the UK, Deutschland, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has evolved since that time, focusing less on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and more on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the method the observance is celebrated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a member of parliament gains confidence to declare that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are surging in Europe as a whole.
In the US, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A campaign to scrub African American heritage and experience from the archives is in progress. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized commemorations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the realities of the present. It also shows how its short period means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. Denise Miller, a prof at an educational institution, put it best when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to alter, change and broaden efforts for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just do away with observances such as Black History Month completely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an time that has not worked.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an infrastructure that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not shy away from political issues, and leaves space for people, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has basic knowledge of the bygone era when it fails to address the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Establishments who celebrate it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to subtle slights, but faced with the dangers that face all if anti-racism is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and responsive. It could be that an total re-identification is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
