This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?

This is Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass gatherings where Black people are compensated to speak with predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The tide has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.

The History of Black History Celebration

First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.

The observance has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and increasingly on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the way the celebration is observed is a manifestation of the political moment. How it develops is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.

A Disconcerting Period

Hardly anything shows how important it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the summer we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a elected representative gains confidence to state that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a source of worry. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the EU as a whole.

In the America, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the state. A drive to erase Black history and legacy from the historical documents is in progress. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.

Given these circumstances, the month illustrates how minimally it can be influential if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the realities of the current era. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. A university professor, a educator at an educational institution, put it best when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”

Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just discontinue things like Black History Month altogether, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an era that has not worked.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an infrastructure that a considerable labor has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.

So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed through the year (as some institutions are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) included in school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not avoid political issues, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What use is basic knowledge of the past when it ignores the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Establishments who observe it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but faced with the dangers that affect everyone if anti-racism is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and reactive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is required – Contemporary Black History Month.