Black History Month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an celebration that started out as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has adopted a commercial tone, expanding to include gatherings where individuals of African heritage are compensated to talk to predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The wave has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in October in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has transformed since that time, giving reduced attention to the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the celebration is commemorated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how important it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a member of parliament gains confidence to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the European continent as a entirety.
In the US, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the country. A effort to scrub the history of people of color and legacy from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives aimed at the museum of African American legacy, 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”.
Given these circumstances, the month symbolises how minimally it can be impactful if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered festivities of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the realities of the current era. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. A university professor, a educator at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a inclination to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an era that has been ineffective.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an framework that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed across all seasons (as various establishments are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) included in school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not shy away from political issues, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves mere awareness of the history when it ignores the current situation of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Establishments who celebrate it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and awareness of “microaggressions”, but faced with the dangers that face all if anti-racism is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and responsive. It could be that an complete renaming is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
