Black History Month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an celebration that started out as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate events where individuals of African heritage are paid 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 demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Month
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in October in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The month has evolved since its inception, giving reduced attention to the narratives of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the celebration is celebrated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it evolves is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we saw the largest far-right rally in British history. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels emboldened to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in Europe as a entirety.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the state. A campaign to remove the history of people of color and experience from the archives is under way. One of the political figure's early administrative commands aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration illustrates how minimally it can be effective if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered festivities of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the situation of the present. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. A university professor, a educator at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend actions for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just discontinue events including Black History Month altogether, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges 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 heritage of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form 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, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed through the year (as certain organizations are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not shy away from politics, and provides room for citizens, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What use is simple recognition of the history when it ignores the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Organizations who observe it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to subtle slights, but confronted with the risks that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and responsive. It could be that an complete renaming is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
