Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an event that began as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a corporate feel, growing to encompass gatherings where individuals of African heritage are paid to talk to Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Month
First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in October in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The month has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the histories of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and more on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the celebration is observed is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a valuable example in how co-option leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Disconcerting Period
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month more than the current time in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels empowered to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are expanding in the EU as a whole.
In the US, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A effort to remove Black history and narrative from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the political figure's first executive orders focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration illustrates how insufficiently it can be effective if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the situation of the present. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is needed. A university professor, a professor at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an time that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed through the year (as various establishments are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) included in school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not avoid politics, and leaves space for individuals, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves mere awareness of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Establishments who observe it should not be pacified with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and awareness of subtle slights, but confronted with the risks that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. It could be that an total re-identification is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
