This commemorative month is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?

This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an celebration that started out as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate functions where individuals of African heritage are compensated to talk to white audiences about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The surge has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.

The Origins of Black History Month

First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Éire and the Netherlands.

The observance has evolved since its inception, focusing less on the narratives of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and more on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the way the celebration is commemorated is a indication of the political moment. How it develops is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.

A Jarring Moment

Few things illustrate how critical it is to rethink Black History Month more than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the warmer months we saw 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 elected representative feels emboldened to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are growing in Europe as a entirety.

In the US, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the state. A campaign to remove Black history and narrative from the archives is in progress. One of the former president's early administrative commands focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

In this context, the observance illustrates how little it can be impactful if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than challenging the realities of the present. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is detached 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 short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”

Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just do away with events including Black History Month entirely, 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 activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an foundation that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out across all seasons (as various establishments are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not avoid political issues, and provides room for citizens, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What value has basic knowledge of the bygone era when it ignores the current situation of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who mark it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and awareness of “microaggressions”, but confronted with the risks that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and responsive. It could be that an total re-identification is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.