🔗 Share this article

We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an event that started out as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has developed a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate gatherings where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to address Caucasian groups about hidden biases and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The surge has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.

The Origins of Black History Celebration

First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in February, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The observance has evolved since those days, focusing less on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the celebration is observed is a indication of the political moment. How it develops is a good lesson in how co-option leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.

---

A Disconcerting Period

Few things illustrate how important it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the warmer months we saw the largest far-right rally in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a elected representative gains confidence to declare that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the European continent as a whole.

In the America, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the nation. A drive to remove African American heritage and legacy from the archives is in progress. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.

Given these circumstances, the month symbolises how minimally it can be effective if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized festivities of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the realities of the present. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is required. A university professor, a educator at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”

---

Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Establishing how to alter, change and broaden actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just do away with events including Black History Month entirely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an period that has failed to deliver.

However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.

So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not shy away from political issues, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the bygone era when it ignores the present reality of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Organizations who observe it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and awareness of minor insults, but faced with the threats that affect everyone if anti-racism is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and adaptive. Perhaps an complete renaming is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.