Black History Month is a reflection of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?

It's Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an event that started out as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, expanding to include functions where Black people are paid to speak with Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The tide has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.

The Background of Black History Celebration

First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.

The observance has developed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the celebration is celebrated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it evolves is a instructive case in how appropriation 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 crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the summer we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels emboldened to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are growing in the EU as a complete entity.

In the America, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, often successfully, to the highest courts of the country. A drive to erase African American heritage and narrative from the historical documents is in progress. One of the former president's early administrative commands targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.

Against this backdrop, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the situation of the present. It also reveals how its short period means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. Denise Miller, a prof at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”

Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just eliminate things like Black History Month completely, believing they are no longer suitable, 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 tradition of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.

So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed across all seasons (as various establishments 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 shy away from politics, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly young people, 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 street? Institutions who mark it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and awareness of “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that impact society if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and adaptive. Maybe an complete renaming is in order – Black History is Now Month.