This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an event that began as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, growing to encompass events where African descendants are remunerated to speak with Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The surge has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in winter, but also in autumn in the Britain, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has developed since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and more on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the political moment. How it progresses is a instructive case in how co-option leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the summer 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 right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a elected representative gains confidence to declare that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, far-right parties are growing in the European continent as a whole.
In the United States, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, often successfully, to the highest courts of the state. A campaign to remove African American heritage and legacy from the archives is in progress. One of the political figure's early administrative commands focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the month illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the conditions of the present. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. Denise Miller, a prof at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just do away with observances such as Black History Month entirely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an time that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an foundation that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not evade governmental matters, and leaves space for citizens, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What use is mere awareness of the bygone era when it ignores the current situation of far-right rallies in the street? Establishments who observe it should not be comforted with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the threats that face all if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and responsive. Maybe an total re-identification is in order – Black History is Now Month.
