This commemorative month is a reflection of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an observance that began as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate gatherings where individuals of African heritage are compensated to speak with white audiences about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Background of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in October in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has transformed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the observance is observed is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it progresses is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how important it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a elected representative feels empowered to state that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are expanding in the EU as a complete entity.
In the America, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the state. A campaign to scrub African American heritage and experience from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the political figure's early administrative commands focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration represents how minimally it can be effective if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the conditions of the present. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is required. Denise Miller, a professor at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just do away with things like Black History Month completely, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an era that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an infrastructure that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) included in educational programs. It would also be a time that does not shy away from political issues, and leaves space for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the bygone era when it fails to address the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Organizations who mark it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and alertness to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the threats that face all if anti-racism is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and adaptive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
