This commemorative month is a reflection of the current political climate, 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. Throughout its history, an celebration that was initiated as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has taken on a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate events where African descendants are remunerated to speak with predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The wave has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Month
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The observance has transformed since its inception, focusing less on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the way the month is celebrated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it evolves is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Hardly anything shows how critical it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the current time in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the recent season we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a legislator gains confidence to state that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the EU as a complete entity.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A campaign to erase Black history and experience from the archives is in progress. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.
In this context, the celebration illustrates how insufficiently it can be effective if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the situation of the present. It also shows how its short period means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is needed. Denise Miller, a prof at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a urge to just eliminate things like Black History Month altogether, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an era that has failed to deliver.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an framework that a considerable labor has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not avoid governmental matters, and leaves space for people, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What use is basic knowledge of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Organizations who celebrate it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and awareness of minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and reactive. It could be that an total re-identification is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
