Black History Month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?

It's Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an observance that began as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate events where individuals of African heritage are compensated to address Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.

The History of Black History Observance

Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the Britain, Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.

The month has developed since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the month is commemorated is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a instructive case in how co-option leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.

A Jarring Moment

Few things illustrate how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the current time in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the summer we observed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a member of parliament gains confidence to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are growing in Europe as a whole.

In the United States, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the country. A effort to remove Black history and experience from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.

Given these circumstances, the month represents how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content celebrations of contributions in the past, 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 necessary. Denise Miller, a prof at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”

Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a inclination to just eliminate things like Black History Month completely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an period that has failed to deliver.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an framework that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.

So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not evade politics, and allows opportunity for people, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What use is mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Organizations who observe it should not be reassured with the passive language of implicit prejudice and alertness to “microaggressions”, but faced with the threats that impact society if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and adaptive. Maybe an complete renaming is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.