Black History Month acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?

We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an celebration that started out as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has developed a commercial tone, growing to encompass events where individuals of African heritage are paid to speak with Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The wave has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.

The Background of Black History Celebration

Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the Britain, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.

The observance has evolved since its inception, giving reduced attention to the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the month is celebrated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a good lesson in how co-option leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.

A Disconcerting Period

Little demonstrates how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the current time in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the summer we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels empowered to declare that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are growing in the EU as a whole.

In the United States, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the country. A campaign to erase the history of people of color and experience from the records is in progress. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.

Against this backdrop, the observance represents how minimally it can be effective if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the realities of the present. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. A university professor, a professor at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”

Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Establishing how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month altogether, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an era that has not worked.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an framework that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed through the year (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not evade governmental matters, and leaves space for individuals, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What use is mere awareness of the history when it ignores the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Organizations who mark it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the threats that face all if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.