This commemorative month is a reflection of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an observance that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has developed a commercial tone, expanding to include events where Black people are compensated to talk to white audiences about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in February, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since that time, placing less emphasis on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the celebration is commemorated is a indication of the current political situation. How it progresses is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how important 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 reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the recent season we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a legislator feels empowered to declare that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. At the same time, far-right parties are surging in Europe as a whole.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A campaign to scrub Black history and legacy from the historical documents is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the month symbolises how little it can be influential if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the conditions of the present. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. A university professor, a prof at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden actions for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a inclination to just eliminate things like Black History Month altogether, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an era that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an framework that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Well, first, 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 prominent figures of color) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not shy away from governmental matters, and leaves space for people, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the past 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 subtle slights, but faced with the dangers that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and reactive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.
