Black History Month is a reflection of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an celebration that started out as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has developed a corporate feel, expanding to include functions where African descendants are paid to address white audiences about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The surge has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Origins of Black History Observance
First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created 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 initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in February, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
The month has evolved since that time, giving reduced attention to the accounts of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and greater focus on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the observance is observed is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.
A Jarring Moment
Little demonstrates how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the warmer months we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a member of parliament gains confidence to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a reason for concern. At the same time, far-right parties are surging in the EU as a complete entity.
In the United States, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A drive to erase African American heritage and narrative from the archives is ongoing. One of the former president's initial presidential directives aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
In this context, the celebration represents how little it can be effective if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the realities of the present. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is required. A university professor, a prof at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Determining how to adjust, modify and expand actions for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just eliminate events including Black History Month completely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, 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 activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an infrastructure that a considerable labor has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out through the year (as certain organizations are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not shy away from politics, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What use is simple recognition of the history when it ignores the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Establishments who observe it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and responsive. Maybe an total re-identification is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.
