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We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an celebration that began as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has developed a corporate feel, growing to encompass gatherings where African descendants are paid to speak with Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The wave has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.

The Background of Black History Celebration

First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.

The month has evolved since that time, focusing less on the accounts of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and greater focus on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the observance is commemorated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.

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A Jarring Moment

Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reconsider 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 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 Tory party, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels empowered to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the EU as a whole.

In the America, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the state. A drive to erase Black history and narrative from the records is under way. One of the political figure's early administrative commands focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.

In this context, the celebration symbolises how insufficiently it can be effective if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized commemorations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the situation of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is needed. Denise Miller, a educator at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”

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Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a urge to just discontinue things like Black History Month completely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an period that has not worked.

However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an infrastructure that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed through the year (as some institutions are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not evade politics, and leaves space for individuals, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What use is basic knowledge of the past when it ignores the present reality of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Establishments who observe it should not be reassured with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to subtle slights, but challenged by the threats that impact society if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.