This commemorative month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?

We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an observance that began as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has adopted a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate functions where African descendants are compensated to speak with white audiences about hidden biases and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.

The Origins of Black History Celebration

Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.

The period has developed since those days, giving reduced attention to the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the month is observed is a reflection of the political moment. How it develops is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the purpose 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 specific period in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels emboldened to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a reason for concern. At the same time, far-right parties are growing in the European continent as a complete entity.

In the US, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the state. A campaign to scrub African American heritage 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 renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.

Given these circumstances, the celebration illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the situation of the current era. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. Denise Miller, a prof at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”

Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just do away with observances such as Black History Month entirely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an period that has been ineffective.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an foundation that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.

So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out across all seasons (as some institutions are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not evade governmental matters, and leaves space for people, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What value has basic knowledge of the history when it fails to address the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Establishments who mark it should not be comforted with the passive language of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but faced with the risks that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and reactive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is required – Contemporary Black History Month.