The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?
We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an celebration that started out as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has developed a corporate feel, growing to encompass functions where African descendants are paid to talk to white audiences about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The wave has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.
The History of Black History Observance
Originally observed 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 celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Deutschland, Éire and the Netherlands.
The period has evolved since those days, focusing less on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the way the observance is observed is a manifestation of the political moment. How it evolves is a good lesson in how co-option leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.
A Troubling Time
Few things illustrate how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the summer we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a member of parliament gains confidence to state that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the EU as a complete entity.
In the United States, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, often successfully, to the highest courts of the state. A drive to scrub Black history and narrative from the archives is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the observance represents how minimally it can be influential if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the realities of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. A university professor, a educator at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a urge to just eliminate observances such as 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 whole broad system and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an framework that a lot of work 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 fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not avoid political issues, and provides room for citizens, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What value has mere awareness of the past when it fails to address the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Establishments who mark it should not be reassured with the passive language of implicit prejudice and awareness of “microaggressions”, but confronted with the threats that impact society if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and reactive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Black History is Now Month.
