This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an event that started out as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a corporate feel, expanding to include gatherings where Black people are paid to speak with white audiences about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The surge has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in October in the UK, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has developed since those days, focusing less on the histories of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the observance is commemorated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the current time in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the warmer months we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels empowered to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are expanding in Europe as a complete entity.
In the America, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A campaign to remove Black history and narrative from the archives is ongoing. One of the political figure's first executive orders targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the month illustrates how little it can be effective if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the conditions of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. A university professor, a prof at an educational institution, put it best when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend actions for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just eliminate events including Black History Month completely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an era that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an infrastructure that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not avoid political issues, and provides room for citizens, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves mere awareness of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Institutions who mark it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that face all if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and responsive. It could be that an total re-identification is required – Contemporary Black History Month.
