Black History Month serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an observance that started out as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass events where African descendants are paid to address predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The surge has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The History of Black History Month
Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since its inception, giving reduced attention to the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the month is observed is a reflection of the current political situation. How it develops is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the current time in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the summer we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels emboldened to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the EU as a whole.
In the United States, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A effort to scrub African American heritage and experience from the archives is ongoing. One of the political figure's first executive orders focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the observance symbolises how little it can be influential if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than addressing the conditions of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. Denise Miller, a educator at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Reconsidering, Not Discarding
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a inclination to just do away with events including Black History Month completely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an time that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an framework that a significant effort has gone into. 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 contemporary active Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out through the year (as some institutions are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not shy away from governmental matters, and provides room for individuals, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves simple recognition of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Institutions who celebrate it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to subtle slights, but faced with the threats that impact society if anti-racism is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and responsive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
