Black History Month is a reflection of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an event that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has developed a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include gatherings where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to address white audiences about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The tide has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in winter, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has transformed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the narratives of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and more on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the month is observed is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we saw the largest far-right rally in British history. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a legislator feels empowered to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, far-right parties are expanding in the EU as a entirety.
In the US, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the nation. A campaign to scrub African American heritage and legacy from the archives is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the realities of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is required. An academic expert, a prof at an educational institution, put it best when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a urge to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month entirely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an era that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an infrastructure that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay 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 through the year (as some institutions are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not avoid governmental matters, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is simple recognition of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Establishments who observe it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and awareness of “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and adaptive. Perhaps an total re-identification is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
