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We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an celebration that started out as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a commercial tone, growing to encompass gatherings where African descendants are compensated to talk to predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.

The History of Black History Month

Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in October in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.

The observance has evolved since that time, placing less emphasis on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the celebration is commemorated is a indication of the political moment. How it progresses is a instructive case in how co-option leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.

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A Jarring Moment

Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the recent season we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels emboldened to say that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are surging in the EU as a whole.

In the America, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A campaign to scrub the history of people of color and legacy from the archives is ongoing. One of the former president's initial presidential directives targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.

Against this backdrop, the celebration symbolises how insufficiently it can be effective if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content festivities of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the situation of the present. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is required. Denise Miller, a educator at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”

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Reevaluating, Not Abandoning

Determining how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a inclination to just discontinue events including Black History Month completely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an time that has not worked.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an framework that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not shy away from political issues, and provides room for people, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has mere awareness of the history when it fails to address the present reality of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who observe it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the risks that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and reactive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is in order – Black History is Now Month.