The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an observance that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a commercial tone, growing to encompass gatherings where African descendants are compensated to address white audiences about hidden biases and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The surge has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The month has developed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the narratives of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the observance is celebrated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it evolves is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how critical it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels empowered to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are surging in Europe as a whole.
In the United States, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A drive to remove Black history and experience from the archives is under way. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the celebration illustrates how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the realities of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. An academic expert, a prof at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just do away with events including Black History Month entirely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an period that has failed to deliver.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an framework that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out through the year (as some institutions are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a time that does not avoid governmental matters, and allows opportunity for people, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What value has simple recognition of the history when it fails to address the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Establishments who mark it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and alertness to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. Maybe an total re-identification is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
