🔗 Share this article

We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an observance that began as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has taken on a corporate feel, expanding to include gatherings where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to talk to Caucasian groups about hidden biases and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The surge has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.

The Origins of Black History Celebration

First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was formally inaugurated 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, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The observance has evolved since that time, focusing less on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the celebration is observed is a indication of the current political situation. How it develops is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.

---

A Jarring Moment

Little demonstrates how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the current time in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, 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 the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a elected representative gains confidence to state that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are expanding in the EU as a complete entity.

In the America, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A drive to erase the history of people of color and experience from the records is ongoing. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.

In this context, the observance illustrates how insufficiently it can be effective if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered commemorations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the realities of the present. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is required. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”

---

Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Establishing how to alter, change and broaden actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just do away with things like Black History Month altogether, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an time that has not worked.

However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an framework that a significant effort has been invested in. 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 across all seasons (as various establishments are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not shy away from politics, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is basic knowledge of the past when it fails to address the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Institutions who mark it should not be comforted with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but faced with the dangers that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and responsive. Maybe an complete renaming is in order – Black History is Now Month.