🔗 Share this article

This is Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an observance that was initiated as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate functions where African descendants are remunerated 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 industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.

The History of Black History Observance

First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in October in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.

The period has evolved since that time, giving reduced attention to the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and increasingly on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the political moment. How it evolves is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.

---

A Disconcerting Period

Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels empowered to declare that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are surging in Europe as a complete entity.

In the America, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the nation. A drive to scrub Black history and narrative from the records is in progress. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.

Given these circumstances, the observance represents how little it can be influential if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the realities of the present. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is needed. An academic expert, a professor at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”

---

Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just eliminate events including Black History Month entirely, believing 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 complete comprehensive structure and legacy of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an framework that a lot of work has been dedicated to. 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 new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out across all seasons (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not avoid political issues, and leaves space for individuals, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is simple recognition of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be reassured with the passive language of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to minor insults, but challenged by the risks that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Black History is Now Month.