The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an event that started out as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, growing to encompass events where Black people are compensated to speak with predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The tide has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Celebration
First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Deutschland, Éire and the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and more on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the month is observed is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it progresses is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it falls this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. 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 place where a elected representative gains confidence to declare that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are surging in the European continent as a whole.
In the America, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A drive to scrub the history of people of color and experience from the historical documents is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the celebration symbolises how minimally it can be influential if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the realities of the contemporary world. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is required. Denise Miller, a prof at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just do away with events including Black History Month completely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an era that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an foundation that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out through the year (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not evade politics, and leaves space for individuals, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has basic knowledge of the past when it fails to address the current situation of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Institutions who observe it should not be pacified with the passive language of hidden discrimination and alertness to subtle slights, but confronted with the dangers that face all if anti-racism is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and adaptive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
