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We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an celebration that began as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include events where African descendants are remunerated to address white audiences about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.

The Background of Black History Celebration

Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in winter, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Holland.

The month has transformed since that time, focusing less on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the method the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.

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A Troubling Time

Few things illustrate how important it is to rethink Black History Month better than the current time in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we witnessed the largest far-right rally in British history. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a legislator feels empowered to say that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are expanding in Europe as a complete entity.

In the US, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the country. A campaign to scrub Black history and experience from the archives is under way. One of the former president's first executive orders focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

In this context, the month represents how little it can be effective if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content celebrations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the conditions of the current era. It also shows how its short period means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is needed. Denise Miller, a professor at a learning establishment, put it best when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”

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Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Determining how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just discontinue things like Black History Month entirely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an era that has not worked.

However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an infrastructure 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 vital organism.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as various establishments are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not avoid politics, and provides room for people, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is basic knowledge of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but faced with the dangers that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and reactive. Perhaps an total re-identification is in order – Black History is Now Month.