This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an celebration that began as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass functions where African descendants are remunerated to speak with Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Month
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance 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 North America in winter, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since its inception, focusing less on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and more on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the observance is commemorated is a indication of the political moment. How it progresses is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the current time in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we saw the largest far-right rally in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels empowered to state that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the European continent as a complete entity.
In the United States, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the state. A effort to remove African American heritage and experience from the archives is in progress. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the celebration symbolises how minimally it can be impactful if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the realities of the present. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is needed. Denise Miller, a professor at a learning establishment, put it best when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just do away with events including Black History Month entirely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an era that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an foundation that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) included in school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not avoid political issues, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What use is basic knowledge of the history when it ignores the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Institutions who mark it should not be reassured with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and awareness of “microaggressions”, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and reactive. Perhaps an total re-identification is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
