This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an event that started out as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has developed a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate gatherings where Black people are compensated to speak with white audiences about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The tide has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in winter, but also in October in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the narratives of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the celebration is observed is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels emboldened to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are expanding in the European continent as a entirety.
In the America, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the country. A campaign to remove African American heritage and legacy from the historical documents is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the observance symbolises how minimally it can be impactful if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content festivities of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the situation of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its short period means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action 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 observance. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a urge to just eliminate events including Black History Month altogether, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an time that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an framework that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not evade political issues, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What use is basic knowledge of the bygone era when it fails to address the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Organizations who mark it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and awareness of minor insults, but faced with the risks that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and reactive. It could be that an complete renaming is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
