This commemorative month is a reflection of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?

This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an observance that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, growing to encompass gatherings where Black people are paid to speak with white audiences about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath 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 evolved from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the UK, Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.

The period has transformed since its inception, focusing less on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the way the month is celebrated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it progresses is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.

A Jarring Moment

Little demonstrates how important it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the recent season we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels empowered to state that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a source of worry. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups 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 supreme judicial bodies of the country. A effort to remove Black history and experience from the historical documents is under way. One of the former president's initial presidential directives aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

Given these circumstances, the month illustrates how little it can be impactful if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than addressing the conditions of the present. It also reveals how its short period means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. Denise Miller, a educator at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”

Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Establishing how to alter, change and broaden actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month completely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an era that has failed to deliver.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an framework that a considerable labor has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not avoid political issues, and provides room for citizens, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the bygone era when it fails to address the current situation of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who observe it should not be pacified with the passive language of hidden discrimination and alertness to minor insults, but faced with the threats that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.