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We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an observance that began as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has developed a corporate feel, expanding to include events where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to speak with predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The wave has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.

The History of Black History Celebration

First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.

The observance has evolved since that time, giving reduced attention to the accounts of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and greater focus on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the month is commemorated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.

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A Jarring Moment

Little demonstrates how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month better than the current time in which it falls this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the warmer months we observed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels emboldened to state that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are surging in the European continent as a entirety.

In the US, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A drive to scrub African American heritage and experience from the records is in progress. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

Against this backdrop, the month symbolises how little it can be impactful if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the conditions of the current era. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is needed. Denise Miller, a prof at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”

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Reevaluating, Not Abandoning

Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just do away with things like Black History Month entirely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an era that has been ineffective.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an foundation that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.

So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not avoid governmental matters, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is mere awareness of the bygone era when it fails to address the current situation of far-right rallies in the street? Establishments who mark it should not be comforted with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the dangers that impact society if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is required – Contemporary Black History Month.