The Debate Over Black History Month

To say that 2014 was a significant year for black communities and culture in the United States would be a monumental understatement. Last year saw the separate deaths of two black citizens, Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York, both at the hands of police officers.

These killings – many would say murders – incited outrage and inspired accusations of systemic racism among U.S. police, as well as the wider American political and judicial system. The snubbing of MLK biopic Selma in the major Academy Awards categories rubbed symbolic salt into the rawest of wounds.
In response, ‘Black Lives Matter’ has become a rallying cry for people the length and breadth of the country, used everywhere from the humblest neighborhood streets to the stage of the Grammy Awards, where – presenting the Album of the Year award – Prince ensured that Brown and Garner weren’t forgotten.
February is celebrated as Black History Month in North America. Which begs the question: to what extent is an occasion like this mere window dressing when prejudice seems so endemic?

BLACK LIVES MATTER
What began life as ‘Negro History Week’ first saw the light of day in February 1926. The month was chosen for a celebration of the history of African Americans – though no one had coined that term back then – because two of the most important figures in the history of the emancipation of black people were born in the month of February: Abraham Lincoln, who signed the Emancipation Proclamation and effectively ended slavery in America; and Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave, renowned orator and crucial advocate for abolition.
It was in 1976, under President Gerald Ford, that Black History Month was officially designated in the United States. It has steadily grown in scale and impact since.
The principle architect of Negro History Week back in the ’20s, was a black historian named Carter G. Woodson. His intention was that it should be abolished when black history became a standard part of American history.
Black History Month was never intended to be a permanent fixture either. The question now is: how can things be changed so that Black History Month can officially be retired?
“Even while we seek to dull the scars of slavery and legalised discrimination, we hold fast to the values gained through centuries of trial and suffering,” said President Obama earlier this month. Things have moved on since 1926, in other words, but not far enough. The events of 2014 prove that major conflicts still exist along black and white lines.
That may explain why Black History Month events this year have had a harder bite. A racial justice group in Alabama have compiled an inventory of 3,959 lynchings: they hope to mark the sites where the crimes took place with plaques. The plan is likely to face stiff resistance.
The shadow of the unfortunate Michael Brown also looms large. A Black History Month event in Seattle featured a showcase of local artwork titled The Value Of Black Life, which included photos of Black Lives Matter protests in the city. Over in Vermont, meanwhile, Democrat Governor Peter Shumlin declared February 12 to be Black Lives Matter Day in the State.
The underlying message is that emphasising the accomplishments of African-Americans is no longer enough. If Black History Month is to have any meaning, it has to address the ongoing racial issues head-on. Otherwise, the analysis runs, it is worse than irrelevant.

IRELAND NOT READY
The debate comes at an awkward time for Ireland, which became the fourth nation, after the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, to run Black History Month.
Ireland’s first Black History Month was a relatively low-key affair with a programme of lectures, speeches and concerts mainly aimed at the African communities here. Writing about a showpiece National Concert Hall performance by South African legend Hugh Masakela, blogger and broadcaster The Fat Dubliner observed: “With so many South Africans now living in Ireland - second only to Nigerians in numbers - this is a great opportunity for them to mingle. I almost feel out of place as an Irishman. But no, this is a night to be human.
“On a sad note,” he continued, “I am struck by the lack of engagement the indigenous population has with different cultures in Ireland... I feel that many of us are still ignorant of the racial diversity now manifestly evident throughout the country.”
Perhaps, then, Black History Month should not be uniformly embraced or condemned. As Woodson intended, it should be a measure by which to gauge any given society’s progress towards equality. Ireland is not ready for the end of Black History Month. Neither are the United States, the UK or Canada. But we must work together to reach the point where we all are...