This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an observance that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has developed a commercial tone, expanding to include gatherings where Black people are remunerated to speak with Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and more on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the observance is celebrated is a indication of the current political situation. How it progresses is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we witnessed the largest far-right rally in British history. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a legislator feels emboldened to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the European continent as a whole.
In the United States, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the state. A campaign to scrub Black history and experience from the records is under way. One of the former president's initial presidential directives focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
Given these circumstances, the observance symbolises how little it can be effective if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered festivities of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the situation of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is disconnected 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 temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month completely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an period that has been ineffective.
But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an framework that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed through the year (as some institutions are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not shy away from politics, and allows opportunity for people, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What value has mere awareness of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Institutions who mark it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and awareness of minor insults, but challenged by the threats that face all if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and responsive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is required – Black History is Now Month.
