🔗 Share this article

It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an celebration that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, expanding to include gatherings where African descendants are paid to talk to Caucasian groups about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The wave has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.

The Background of Black History Month

First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in autumn in the Britain, Deutschland, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The month has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the accounts of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, 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 discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the observance is commemorated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a valuable example in how co-option leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.

---

A Disconcerting Period

Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the summer we witnessed the largest far-right rally in British history. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a legislator gains confidence to state that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the European continent as a complete entity.

In the United States, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the state. A effort to erase Black history and experience from the archives is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

Against this backdrop, the month symbolises how minimally it can be effective if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the conditions of the contemporary world. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. A university professor, a prof at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”

---

Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just do away with events including Black History Month completely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an era that has not worked.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an infrastructure that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not merely to decline 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? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out through the year (as certain organizations are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not evade governmental matters, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What use is simple recognition of the bygone era when it fails to address the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Institutions who observe it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and awareness of minor insults, but faced with the risks that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and reactive. Perhaps an total re-identification is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.