Black History Month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an celebration that started out as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a corporate feel, expanding to include functions where African descendants are compensated to address predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The surge has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the month is observed is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month more than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels empowered to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in Europe as a entirety.
In the America, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, often successfully, to the highest courts of the country. A effort to remove African American heritage and experience from the historical documents is in progress. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the observance illustrates how minimally it can be effective if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the conditions of the current era. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is needed. Denise Miller, a prof at an educational institution, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand actions for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a inclination to just discontinue things like Black History Month altogether, believing they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an time that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an infrastructure that a lot of work 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 look like? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out through the year (as various establishments are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves mere awareness of the bygone era when it fails to address the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Organizations who celebrate it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and alertness to “microaggressions”, but faced with the dangers that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and responsive. Perhaps an complete renaming is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
