This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an celebration that started out as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has developed a commercial tone, growing to encompass gatherings where individuals of African heritage are paid to address predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in February, but also in October in the Britain, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The month has transformed since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and increasingly on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the celebration is celebrated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it evolves is a good lesson in how co-option leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the current time in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we observed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels empowered to state that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. At the same time, far-right parties are growing in the EU as a entirety.
In the US, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the country. A campaign to erase African American heritage and legacy from the records is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be influential if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content celebrations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the conditions of the contemporary world. It also shows how its short period means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. An academic expert, a prof at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just do away with things like Black History Month completely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an period that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an framework that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not evade political issues, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What value has simple recognition of the history when it ignores the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Establishments who celebrate it should not be pacified with the passive language of implicit prejudice and awareness of subtle slights, but confronted with the threats that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and adaptive. Maybe an total re-identification is required – Black History is Now Month.
