The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the prevailing political atmosphere, so what steps can we take to refresh it?

We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an celebration that began as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has developed a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass events where individuals of African heritage are compensated to speak with Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The tide has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.

The History of Black History Month

Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the Britain, Germany, Éire and the Holland.

The period has evolved since that time, focusing less on the narratives of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and more on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the method the celebration is celebrated is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.

A Troubling Time

Little demonstrates how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels empowered to state that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the European continent as a entirety.

In the US, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the country. A drive to erase Black history and narrative from the historical documents is under way. One of the political figure's first executive orders focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by portraying America “as inherently racist”.

Given these circumstances, the month symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the realities of the present. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a prof at University of Greenwich, put it best when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”

Reevaluating, Not Abandoning

Determining how to alter, change and broaden efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just discontinue things like Black History Month completely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an time that has been ineffective.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an infrastructure that a significant effort 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 contemporary active Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not avoid politics, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What value has mere awareness of the bygone era when it fails to address the current situation of far-right rallies in the street? Institutions who celebrate it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and alertness to subtle slights, but challenged by the dangers that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and reactive. Maybe an total re-identification is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.