This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an celebration that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass events where African descendants are compensated 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. However, that period has concluded. The tide has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in the second month, but also in autumn in the Britain, Germany, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since its inception, placing less emphasis on the histories of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the observance is observed is a manifestation of the political moment. How it progresses is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the current time in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels emboldened to say that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are surging in the European continent as a whole.
In the America, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the country. A drive to erase the history of people of color and legacy from the records is ongoing. One of the former president's initial presidential directives targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration illustrates how little it can be impactful if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the conditions of the present. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a urge to just do away with things like Black History Month altogether, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an era that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an foundation that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out through the year (as various establishments are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in educational programs. It would also be a era that does not shy away from governmental matters, and provides room for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What use is mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the street? Organizations who mark it should not be reassured with the passive language of hidden discrimination and alertness to “microaggressions”, but faced with the threats that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. Perhaps an complete renaming is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
