The annual Black History observance acts as a gauge of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an observance that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass functions where African descendants are paid to speak with predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The surge has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has developed since those days, placing less emphasis on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the recent season we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a elected representative feels empowered to say that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, far-right parties are surging in the European continent as a whole.
In the America, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the nation. A effort to remove Black history and experience from the archives is ongoing. One of the former president's initial presidential directives aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the observance illustrates how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the conditions of the present. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is required. An academic expert, a educator at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a inclination to just do away with things like Black History Month completely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an time that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an infrastructure that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and allows opportunity for people, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves mere awareness of the past when it fails to address the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and awareness of minor insults, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and adaptive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is required – Black History is Now Month.
