Black History Month serves as a mirror of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?

This is Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an event that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate events where Black people are remunerated to address predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.

The History of Black History Month

Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in winter, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Germany, Éire and the Holland.

The period has transformed since that time, giving reduced attention to the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the observance is commemorated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it develops is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.

A Troubling Time

Few things illustrate how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a elected representative gains confidence to say that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, far-right parties are surging in the European continent as a whole.

In the United States, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the country. A campaign to erase the history of people of color and legacy from the historical documents is under way. One of the political figure's early administrative commands targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

Against this backdrop, the celebration represents how little it can be effective if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content commemorations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the conditions of the current era. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is needed. A university professor, a educator at University of Greenwich, put it best when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”

Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a inclination to just do away with things like Black History Month altogether, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an era that has been ineffective.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an infrastructure that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.

So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not evade governmental matters, and provides room for people, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is simple recognition of the bygone era when it ignores the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Establishments who celebrate it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and awareness of “microaggressions”, but faced with the risks that face all if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and responsive. Maybe an total re-identification is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.