This commemorative month is a reflection of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include functions where individuals of African heritage are paid to talk to white audiences about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The wave has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in winter, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has transformed since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and more on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the contribution 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 manner the celebration is observed is a manifestation of the political moment. How it evolves is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the current time in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the summer we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels empowered to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, far-right parties are growing in the EU as a complete entity.
In the America, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A effort to remove African American heritage and narrative from the archives is under way. One of the former president's first executive orders aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the observance symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the situation of the current era. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is needed. An academic expert, a professor at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to alter, change and broaden actions for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just eliminate events including Black History Month completely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an era that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an foundation that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not evade political issues, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What use is simple recognition of the past when it fails to address the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Establishments who observe it should not be comforted with the passive language of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to subtle slights, but challenged by the dangers that impact society if anti-racism is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and responsive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is required – Black History is Now Month.
