As Black History Month commences in Ireland, Sofia Chirico explores its origin and the impact of this celebration among societies worldwide.
In Ireland, the month of October is Black History Month, and has been a time to celebrate the history and achievements of the Black community around the world since 2010.
Here’s an overview of Black History Month in countries all over the world.
In the Anglosphere, the first celebration of Black History was held in 1915 in the United States, where African-American historian Carter G. Woodson appointed the second week of February as Black History Week. However, this celebration did not gain official recognition until 1976, when president Gerald Ford extended this event to the entire month of February in order to acknowledge the history and achievements of the Black community in the US. Every year since, the celebration has taken place among public institutions in the US, whereas in Canada it has been officially celebrated since 1995 (also held in February) and every July in Australia since 2008, where it is known as ‘Blak’ History Month.
In Europe this celebration was first commemorated in 1987, when the United Kingdom observed Black History Month in October for the first time.
At present, the only other European states that do celebrate it officially are Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
Therefore, the question arises naturally: why is Black History Month not celebrated in all European countries?
According to Ojeaku Nwabuzo, Director of Policy, Advocacy, and Network Development at the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), the reason why this commemoration is not officially observed all across Europe lies in the deeply rooted racism that still plagues a number of European countries.
Activities such as museum exhibits, movie screenings, music listening sessions, and Black authors promotion usually take place during this month. Furthermore, supporting Black-owned businesses and charities is also greatly encouraged at this time.
According to the annual report by National Urban League “2024 State of Black America”, the current state of affairs for people of African descent in the United States leaves much room for improvement. Black students have been reported to be more likely to attend schools with less qualified teachers compared to white students. Systematic violence, injustice, racism, harassment and discrimination are still a concern both in the U.S. and in Europe, with the increase of far-right extremist parties post-pandemic.