The annual Black History observance acts as a gauge of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an celebration that started out as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has adopted a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate functions where Black people are compensated to speak with predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
First commemorated 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 multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in February, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Germany, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since those days, focusing less on the accounts of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the month is celebrated is a indication of the political moment. How it evolves is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the current time in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we observed 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 anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a elected representative feels empowered to say that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. At the same time, far-right parties are expanding in the EU as a complete entity.
In the America, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A effort to scrub Black history and legacy from the records is under way. One of the political figure's early administrative commands targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the observance symbolises how insufficiently it can be effective if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the realities of the present. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is required. An academic expert, a prof at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just eliminate events including Black History Month entirely, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an period that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an foundation that a considerable labor has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not evade politics, and provides room for people, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What value has mere awareness of the history when it ignores the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the street? Organizations who mark it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and alertness to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and responsive. Perhaps an complete renaming is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
