This commemorative month is a reflection of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an event that started out as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has adopted a commercial tone, growing to encompass events where African descendants are compensated to talk to predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Background of Black History Month
First commemorated 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 second week of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The month has transformed since those days, placing less emphasis on the accounts of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and greater focus on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the month is celebrated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it progresses is a valuable example in how co-option leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the current time in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the warmer months we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels empowered to state that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are growing in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the America, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the nation. A drive to scrub the history of people of color and narrative from the archives is under way. One of the political figure's early administrative commands focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the month represents how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized commemorations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the conditions of the current era. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is required. An academic expert, a professor at a learning establishment, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just do away with things like Black History Month entirely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an time that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an framework that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not evade political issues, and provides room for citizens, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is mere awareness of the bygone era when it ignores the present reality of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who mark it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and alertness to minor insults, but challenged by the dangers that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and reactive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.
