This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an celebration that began as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, expanding to include gatherings where individuals of African heritage are compensated to talk to Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The wave has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Celebration
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple 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. Today it is observed not only in the North America in February, but also in autumn in the Britain, Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The period has transformed since that time, focusing less on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and more on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the month is commemorated is a reflection of the political moment. How it develops is a valuable example in how co-option leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels empowered to say that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. At the same time, far-right parties are expanding in Europe as a whole.
In the America, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A effort to erase African American heritage and narrative from the archives is under way. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the celebration represents how minimally it can be impactful if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the conditions of the present. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is needed. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, put it best when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just do away with events including Black History Month altogether, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an time that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an infrastructure that a considerable labor has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed through the year (as various establishments are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not evade political issues, and leaves space for individuals, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What use is basic knowledge of the history when it fails to address the present reality of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Establishments who mark it should not be comforted with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the risks that affect everyone if anti-racism is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and adaptive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
