The annual Black History observance acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an event that started out as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, expanding to include gatherings where African descendants are remunerated to talk to white audiences about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The wave has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Celebration
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in February, but also in autumn in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has developed since those days, focusing less on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and more on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the method the month is celebrated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month more than the current time in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we saw the largest far-right rally in British history. a prominent political figure, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels emboldened to state that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are surging in Europe as a complete entity.
In the America, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the state. A drive to scrub African American heritage and experience from the records is in progress. One of the former president's first executive orders targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the conditions of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. Denise Miller, a prof at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just discontinue things like Black History Month entirely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an period that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute 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 dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not evade politics, and allows opportunity for people, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves simple recognition of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Organizations who celebrate it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and awareness of subtle slights, but challenged by the threats that impact society if anti-racism is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
