Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?

This is Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an observance that started out as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include gatherings where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to address predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.

The Background of Black History Celebration

Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in February, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.

The month has transformed since its inception, focusing less on the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the month is celebrated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.

A Disconcerting Period

Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the recent season we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a legislator feels empowered to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Simultaneously, far-right parties are growing in the European continent as a complete entity.

In the America, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the country. A drive to scrub African American heritage and narrative from the records is ongoing. One of the political figure's early administrative commands targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

In this context, the month symbolises how minimally it can be impactful if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the conditions of the current era. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. An academic expert, a prof at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”

Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Determining how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just discontinue events including Black History Month entirely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an time that has been ineffective.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an foundation that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not evade political issues, and allows opportunity for people, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What use is simple recognition of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Institutions who celebrate it should not be reassured with the passive language of hidden discrimination and awareness of “microaggressions”, but confronted with the dangers that affect everyone if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and reactive. It could be that an complete renaming is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.