The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an event that began as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has developed a corporate feel, expanding to include gatherings where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to speak with predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The month has developed since those days, placing less emphasis 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 input Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the observance is commemorated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a good lesson in how co-option leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the summer we witnessed the largest far-right rally in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels empowered to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a source of worry. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the EU as a complete entity.
In the America, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A effort to scrub the history of people of color and legacy from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration symbolises how minimally it can be influential if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered festivities of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the realities of the present. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is required. A university professor, a educator at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just eliminate events including Black History Month completely, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an time that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an foundation that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not shy away from political issues, and leaves space for individuals, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What value has basic knowledge of the bygone era when it ignores the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Organizations who observe it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and awareness of “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that impact society if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and adaptive. It could be that an complete renaming is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.