Why Black History Month is Still Relevant
Although I understand why you would disagree.
After the events that unfolded last summer with the mass dissemination of black pain and trauma during the global lockdown, followed by the performative activism from peers trying to save face and companies capitalizing on the movement in the name of corporate social responsibility -
Skepticism regarding Black History Month (BHM) is valid when considering the external influences that attempt to penetrate the integrity of this time and movement. Often times, white establishments appropriate BHM and present narratives that compliment their Eurocentric gaze.
A lot of black folks around me question whether BHM is still relevant. My answer is yes, but it did take me some time to come up with a proper justification.
On a personal level, as I believe applies for many of my peers, BHM is no longer of uttermost importance for we are already committed to empowering and educating ourselves. Everyday is a good day to celebrate black excellence while still raising awareness to the intersectional, socio-political or economic limits we face.
In recent years, I have connected with amazing black folks in my surroundings and on social media. These friendships have birthed a collective ready to uplift one other for every accomplishment we achieve. However this was not always the case for me.
I was one of ten black people in a grade year of 150 students attending my French immersion, predominantly white high school, and one out of three black girls. Inhibited and trying to survive the neocolonial structures of the establishment, we were not provided a comforting environment for us to connect on our shared identities nor could we figure out ways to navigate this space together. We coped with the ignorance and racism of the French educational system on our own. The disguised blessing in this scenario was that I was never approached to create a BHM presentation for a non-black audience and, thus was never given the responsibility of being a token representative.
I did have black friends outside my academic sphere, but that’s just what they were at the time — friends. We were much too wrapped up in the crises of adolescence within an anti-black context to recognize the power of organization we possessed.
When I was in my first year of junior college, I joined the black student union, the first organized community space I had ever known. BHM events became a time for me to celebrate my blackness within a collective, rather than an effort to shape our history and culture in a manner that was digestible to non-black people.
When communities in the West comes together as a collective, it provides an opportunity for those who are struggling to feel apart of something greater than themselves.
This brings me to my justification.
BHM is relevant because not everyone has found their community within their environment. There are some who are stuck spending a majority of their days in white spaces, whether that be work or school. There are others living with crippling anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder or other conditions such as autism, that prevent them from connecting with others the way they wish they could. These are just a few of many realities where black folks may feel disconnected from their own. Thus when communities in the West comes together as a collective, it provides an opportunity for those who are struggling to feel apart of something greater than themselves.
The question we should ask ourselves henceforth is not whether Black History Month is still relevant, but rather, is it still relevant to you?
There is no shame if it is, especially right now. After the summer we had and the ongoing pandemic we’re still battling, taking time to consciously uplift blackness everyday this month and bring awareness, in any manner you can, is the expression of love we need. Claim this time, whatever that means to you.
