Who really owns Black History Month?
Historians, African Canadians and activists may stake claims, but it belongs to all, Angela Wright says.
Every February, amid celebrations and national recognition of the contributions of African Canadians, debates ensue over the purpose and usefulness of Black History Month.
These debates have taken centre stage this year, particularly over what Black History Month ought to be. Commentators have called for more activism, the recognition of current and past injustices facing African Canadians, and the importance of uncovering a “hidden” African Canadian history. On the other hand, some believe Black History Month shouldn’t even exist. They claim these stories should instead be properly recognized within the nation’s official history.
By arguing for their preferred versions of Black History Month, commentators in effect are attempting to claim ownership of how the month is framed and celebrated.
But who really owns Black History Month? Historians? As experts in studies of the past, historians are best suited to demonstrate when and where African Canadian history fits into Canada’s official history. The danger, however, of a historian-led Black History Month, is an overemphasis on academic-styled narratives in which the facts of historical events overshadow the nuances of stories told by people with personal connections to their subjects — the humanizing aspect of history.
Historians are also limited by their areas of focus and the sources to which they have access.
What about African Canadians?
The diversity of African Canadian communities poses challenges for creating Black History Month programming. Each community has a unique connection to stories rooted in specific places. It’s also imperative to allow predominantly white organizations to recognize Black History Month in ways that work for them. Black sensibilities toward racism make this difficult, of course. Institutions that promote Black History Month without consulting African Canadians run the risk of celebrations being distasteful, stereotypical or disrespectful. Activists? Some activists have expressed frustration this year at the jovial nature of Black History Month celebrations, insisting these celebrations downplay continued systemic discrimination toward African Canadians. They argue Black History Month is instead the time to advocate for changes to issues such as carding, the overrepresentation of African Canadians in the child welfare system, and high incarceration rates.
There should be no timeline on advocacy and activism that seeks to improve Canadian society. Activists should never put their cause on hold in recognition of Black History Month. However, activists who use the Black History Month platform to overemphasize their cause risk being labelled opportunists.
Beyond claims to ownership, Black History Month celebrations must be two things: rooted in Canadian history and experiences, and remain respectful and authentic to the people and stories they are depicting.
The late historian Herbert Gutman describes history as an “ongoing means of collective self-discovery about the nature of our society.” History isn’t solely about the past, it’s also about the present, where each member of Canadian society has a stake.
If black history in Canada is ever going to truly be Canadian history, it can’t only be under the purview of historians, African Canadians or activists.
An important part of getting people to think and care about history is getting them to engage with it. It’s not possible for everyone to know every African Canadian history fact. What’s more important, is for every Canadian to find a particular story or individual with whom they can relate.
Whether a slave accused of burning down the city of Montreal, black pioneers who settled rural communities in the prairies, the razing of Africville, or black protests against police violence, there is a piece of African Canadian history connected to everyone and every place.
So who owns Black History Month?
All of us together, none of us alone.