Black History Month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?

We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an observance that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a corporate feel, growing to encompass events where African descendants are compensated to address Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The wave has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.

The Origins of Black History Observance

Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.

The observance has developed since that time, focusing less on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the celebration is observed is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.

A Jarring Moment

Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the summer we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a member of parliament gains confidence to say that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a reason for concern. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in Europe as a complete entity.

In the America, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the country. A drive to scrub Black history and experience from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the former president's early administrative commands aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

Given these circumstances, the observance symbolises how little it can be influential if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the realities of the current era. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a prof at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”

Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Determining how to adapt, revise and extend actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a inclination to just do away with events including Black History Month altogether, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an time that has failed to deliver.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an framework that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not evade politics, and leaves space for individuals, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What value has basic knowledge of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Organizations who mark it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and awareness of “microaggressions”, but faced with the dangers that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and adaptive. It could be that an complete renaming is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.