Black History Month is a reflection of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?

We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an observance that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has developed a corporate feel, expanding to include functions where African descendants are compensated to address Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The wave has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.

The History of Black History Month

Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in October in the Britain, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.

The period has transformed since that time, placing less emphasis on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the month is observed is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a instructive case in how co-option leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.

A Disconcerting Period

Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, 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 situation where a elected representative feels empowered to say that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a source of worry. Meanwhile, far-right parties are growing in Europe as a entirety.

In the America, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A campaign to scrub African American heritage and experience from the historical documents is in progress. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

Against this backdrop, the observance represents how little it can be effective if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the situation of the present. It also reveals how its short period means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is needed. A university professor, a professor at University of Greenwich, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”

Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Determining how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month completely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an era 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 yes, even those talks to businesses – form an framework that a lot of work has been dedicated to. 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 new dynamic Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed through the year (as certain organizations are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not avoid political issues, and allows opportunity for people, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What value has mere awareness of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Institutions who observe it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and awareness of subtle slights, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and adaptive. Perhaps an total re-identification is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.