This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an observance that began as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has developed a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate events where Black people are paid to talk to predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Month
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.
The observance has evolved since its inception, giving reduced attention to the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and more on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the observance is celebrated is a indication of the political moment. How it develops is a good lesson in how co-option leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month better than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the recent season we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels empowered to state that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the European continent as a whole.
In the US, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the state. A effort to scrub Black history and narrative from the historical documents is in progress. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the month illustrates how insufficiently it can be influential if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the realities of the present. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a urge to just do away with observances such as Black History Month entirely, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an time that has not worked.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an foundation that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), 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 spread out across all seasons (as some institutions are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not avoid politics, and allows opportunity for people, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What use is mere awareness of the history when it ignores the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Organizations who celebrate it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and alertness to minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. 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 – Contemporary Black History Month.
