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

This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an observance that began as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include gatherings where African descendants are compensated to address Caucasian groups about hidden biases and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.

The Origins of Black History Observance

Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in winter, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.

The month has evolved since its inception, focusing less on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and more on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the celebration is observed is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.

A Jarring Moment

Little demonstrates how important it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the recent season we saw the largest far-right rally in British history. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels emboldened to state that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Meanwhile, far-right parties are growing in Europe as a whole.

In the America, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A effort to scrub the history of people of color and legacy from the archives is ongoing. One of the former president's early administrative commands aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.

In this context, the month symbolises how minimally it can be effective if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the conditions of the contemporary world. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. A university professor, a educator at a learning establishment, put it best when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”

Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just do away with events including Black History Month completely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an era that has failed to deliver.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an framework that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already beginning to do), 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 governmental matters, and provides room for people, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Establishments who celebrate it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that affect everyone if anti-racism is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and reactive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.