The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an observance that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has developed a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate gatherings where African descendants are compensated to speak with Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The tide has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created 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 movement and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in February, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Holland.
The month has developed since those days, giving reduced attention to the narratives of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the observance is observed is a manifestation of the political moment. How it evolves is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a member of parliament gains confidence to state that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, far-right parties are growing in the European continent as a whole.
In the US, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the country. A effort to scrub the history of people of color and legacy from the historical documents is in progress. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the observance illustrates how insufficiently it can be effective if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the realities of the current era. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is needed. Denise Miller, a professor at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month entirely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an era that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an framework that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as various establishments are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and leaves space for citizens, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is basic knowledge of the past when it ignores the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Establishments who mark it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and awareness of minor insults, but faced with the threats that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and adaptive. Perhaps an complete renaming is in order – Black History is Now Month.
