The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?

This is Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an celebration that started out as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has adopted a corporate feel, expanding to include gatherings where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to talk to predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The wave has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.

The Background of Black History Month

First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in winter, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The period has developed since those days, placing less emphasis on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and more on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the method the observance is observed is a indication of the political moment. How it evolves is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.

A Jarring Moment

Hardly anything shows how critical it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the current time in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the warmer months we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels emboldened to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in Europe as a complete entity.

In the US, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, often successfully, to the highest courts of the country. A campaign to remove Black history and experience from the historical documents is under way. One of the political figure's first executive orders focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.

In this context, the observance illustrates how little it can be influential if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the situation of the current era. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is required. A university professor, a professor at a learning establishment, put it best when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”

Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. 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 not worked.

However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an foundation that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not evade political issues, and leaves space for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has basic knowledge of the past when it fails to address the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Organizations who mark it should not be comforted with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to minor insults, but challenged by the risks that face all if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and adaptive. It could be that an total re-identification is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.