The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an event that began as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has adopted a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate gatherings where individuals of African heritage are paid to address predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The tide has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has evolved since its inception, focusing less on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and more on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the observance is commemorated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it progresses is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels empowered to state that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in Europe as a complete entity.
In the US, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the nation. A campaign to scrub African American heritage and legacy from the historical documents is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the month symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the conditions of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. A university professor, a educator at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just discontinue things like Black History Month altogether, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an time that has not worked.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an foundation that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a time that does not shy away from governmental matters, and provides room for individuals, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to subtle slights, but challenged by the risks that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.
