This commemorative month is a reflection of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an observance that started out as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass functions where Black people are compensated to speak with white audiences about hidden biases and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The wave has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The month has transformed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the narratives of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the celebration is celebrated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it develops is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season 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 anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels emboldened to say that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are growing in the European continent as a entirety.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A effort to scrub Black history and narrative from the archives is under way. One of the political figure's first executive orders targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the observance illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized celebrations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the realities of the current era. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just do away with observances such as Black History Month altogether, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an era that has not worked.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an foundation that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a time that does not avoid political issues, and leaves space for individuals, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has simple recognition of the history when it ignores the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Establishments who celebrate it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the dangers that face all if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
