The annual Black History observance acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an observance that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has developed a commercial tone, expanding to include functions where Black people are compensated to speak with Caucasian groups about hidden biases and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The surge has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has transformed since that time, focusing less on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the month is commemorated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it develops is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the current time in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the recent season we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels emboldened to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the EU as a complete entity.
In the United States, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A campaign to scrub African American heritage and legacy from the archives is under way. One of the political figure's early administrative commands targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Against this backdrop, the month symbolises how insufficiently it can be effective if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the situation of the current era. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. A university professor, a educator at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately 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 becomes a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just discontinue events including Black History Month altogether, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an time that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an framework that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) included in school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not evade politics, and leaves space for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves mere awareness of the past when it fails to address the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Establishments who observe it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to subtle slights, but faced with the dangers that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and adaptive. Maybe an total re-identification is in order – Black History is Now Month.
