'The History of Black History Month' by Archie Lees
The story of Black History Month started in the September of 1915, 50 years following the abolishment of slavery in the United States via the Thirteenth Amendment[1]. The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, founded in 1915, was created in order to research and promote the achievements by Black Americans and acted as a catalyst for the celebrations. This is now known today as the Study of African American Life and History. Initially it was decided to only be celebrated for a week under the title ‘Negro History Week’ in the second week of February. Originally the event didn’t receive much traction until the 40s where weeklong celebrations had begun to attract much larger audiences. Teachers were provided with a ‘Negro History Kit’ to help teach the Black History to a classroom.
The civil rights movements of the 60s then progressed the week into the inaugural Black History Month which first officially took place in college campuses from 1970 onwards. Six years later it was officially recognised by President Gerald Ford, 11 years prior to its arrival at the UK shores.[2] Following on from this, the event only expanded as communities and schools sought to organise localised celebrations and host lectures and performances more dedicated to the Black History of the hosts of the celebrations.
Whilst this produced the Black History Month celebrations in the States, it wasn’t introduced into the United Kingdom until 1987 as part of the African Jubilee year by Ghanaian-born Akyaaba Addai Sebo following his visit to the US in the 1970s. Whilst this is what he is mostly known for nowadays, he adopted many roles throughout his career including analyst, journalist, and pan-African analyst. He was supported by the leader of the Greater London Council, Ken Livinstone, to help bring the annual American celebration to the London area.
Flash forward to today, where thousands of events will be seen across the UK over the next month, from workshops to theatre productions. In order to move the celebrations of Black History Month away from the US and their history, it has become gradually more British-centric, with events this year having a focus on the theme of Windrush and the story of hundreds of Caribbean settlers who came to the UK in the late 40s.
To further progress the celebrations, the US thought to introduce a thematic aspect to the celebrations of Black History Month back in 1976 calling upon people to seize opportunity to honour neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area[3]. This thematic structure to the celebrations was used in the inaugural year of the UK’s celebrations in 1987 and themes have included civil rights, sites of memories, crisis in black education, times of war and black migrations. The celebrations of this month fall under the theme “Time for Change: Action Not Words” which looks more to the future of black history rather than a reflection on the past. The typical way that we celebrate Black History Month is through education within schools and colleges who adjust the curriculum in order to teach the younger generations of past events. Other suggested ways to celebrate Black History Month is to visit monuments, museums, and support smaller and local Black-owned businesses.
Rather controversially, Black History Month still isn’t acknowledged everywhere. Countries such as France claim to have never legalised slavery in its mainland and therefore is able to separate itself from the historical atrocities tied to Black History Month. Elsewhere around the globe, Canada introduced the celebratory month in 1995 as well as several cities in Germany hosting celebrations since 1990. However, similar to France it still isn’t a nationwide event despite its growing global popularity to the point of the celebrations rightfully becoming a formality in widespread areas.
We at Falmouth University are also celebrating Black History Month as we pause and reflect on the past, celebrate a number of vibrant and compelling cultures and examine the way in which we view our history. The student Union are running Film screenings, a focus on important black figures and their profiles, and various workshops.
For a full list of events click the link below:
www.thesu.org.uk/blackhistorymonth
[1]Amanda Onion, “Origins of Black History Month”, A&E Television Networks Online. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-month#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20African%20American,February%20as%20Black%20History%20Month. [accessed 2 October 2022]
[2]Jan Mostaert, “The Story of Black History Month”, Sky History Online. https://www.history.co.uk/article/the-story-of-black-history-month [accessed 3 October 2022]
[3] Amanda Onion, “Origins of Black History Month”, A&E Television Networks Online. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-month#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20African%20American,February%20as%20Black%20History%20Month [accessed 2 October 2022]
Words by Archie Lees
Image by Oladimeji Odunsi from Unsplash