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 Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an celebration that started out as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate events where Black people are compensated to speak with predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the accounts of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and increasingly on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the current time in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels empowered to declare that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Simultaneously, far-right parties are surging in the EU as a whole.
In the United States, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A effort to erase the history of people of color and narrative from the historical documents is in progress. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the observance represents how insufficiently it can be influential if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content festivities of former accomplishments, rather than confronting 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 necessary. A university professor, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just eliminate things like Black History Month completely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an period that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an infrastructure that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not evade governmental matters, and leaves space for people, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Organizations who celebrate it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and awareness of “microaggressions”, but confronted with the risks that impact society if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and responsive. Perhaps an total re-identification is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
