Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?

We are in Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an observance that began as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has developed a commercial tone, growing to encompass gatherings where individuals of African heritage are paid to address predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The tide has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.

The History of Black History Month

Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Holland.

The period has developed since those days, placing less emphasis on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the observance is celebrated is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.

A Troubling Time

Few things illustrate how important it is to rethink Black History Month more than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels empowered to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the EU as a complete entity.

In the America, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A drive to remove the history of people of color and narrative from the historical documents is under way. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt 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 celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the situation of the current era. It also reveals how its short period means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is needed. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, put it best when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”

Reevaluating, Not Abandoning

Establishing how to alter, change and broaden efforts for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a inclination to just eliminate events including Black History Month completely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an era that has failed to deliver.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. 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 appear as? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not evade political issues, and provides room for people, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves simple recognition of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Institutions who celebrate it should not be comforted with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to minor insults, but challenged by the dangers that face all if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and adaptive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.