The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
We are in Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an observance that began as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include gatherings where Black people are remunerated to speak with white audiences about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the UK, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.
The period has evolved since those days, focusing less on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the political moment. How it evolves is a good lesson in how co-option leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how important it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the recent season we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering 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 Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels empowered to state that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a source of worry. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the EU as a complete entity.
In the America, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the state. A drive to scrub African American heritage and experience from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.
Given these circumstances, the celebration illustrates how little it can be influential if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content festivities of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the conditions of the present. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is needed. An academic expert, a prof at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month entirely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an period that has failed to deliver.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an foundation that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not evade political issues, and leaves space for people, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Organizations who celebrate it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and awareness of subtle slights, but faced with the threats that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and adaptive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is required – Black History is Now Month.
