This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?

It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate gatherings where Black people are remunerated to speak with Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The surge has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.

The Background of Black History Observance

Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the UK, Germany, Ireland and the Holland.

The month has evolved since those days, focusing less on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the method the month is observed is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.

A Troubling Time

Little demonstrates how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month more than the current time in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels empowered to state that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the European continent as a whole.

In the US, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A campaign to scrub African American heritage and narrative from the records is under way. One of the former president's early administrative commands aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.

In this context, the observance symbolises how little it can be effective if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the situation of the contemporary world. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is required. A university professor, a prof at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”

Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just discontinue things like Black History Month entirely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an time that has failed to deliver.

However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an framework that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.

So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in educational programs. It would also be a era that does not evade political issues, and allows opportunity for people, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What value has basic knowledge of the history when it ignores the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Institutions who celebrate it should not be pacified with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and alertness to minor insults, but faced with the risks that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and adaptive. It could be that an complete renaming is necessary – Black History is Now Month.