Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?

This is Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an observance that began as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has developed a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate events where African descendants are remunerated to address predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The surge has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.

The History of Black History Observance

Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the UK, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The month has developed since that time, focusing less on the histories of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the observance is observed is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a good lesson in how co-option leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.

A Jarring Moment

Little demonstrates how critical it is to rethink Black History Month more than the current time in which it falls this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the summer we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a member of parliament feels empowered to declare 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 Europe as a entirety.

In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the state. A campaign to scrub African American heritage and narrative from the records is under way. One of the former president's early administrative commands aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.

Against this backdrop, the month symbolises how little it can be influential if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized celebrations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the situation of the current era. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is needed. An academic expert, a professor at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”

Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month completely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an time that has not worked.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an framework that a considerable labor has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.

So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) included in school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not evade governmental matters, and provides room for people, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What value has simple recognition of the history when it ignores the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Institutions who mark it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to minor insults, but faced with the threats that affect everyone if anti-racism is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and adaptive. Perhaps an total re-identification is required – Contemporary Black History Month.