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It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an celebration that began as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has developed a commercial tone, expanding to include functions where individuals of African heritage are paid to speak with white audiences about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The wave has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.

The History of Black History Observance

First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in February, but also in October in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The observance has transformed since those days, focusing less on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and more on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring 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 way the celebration is observed is a reflection of the current political situation. How it progresses is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.

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A Disconcerting Period

Little demonstrates how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the summer we observed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, 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 gains confidence to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are expanding in Europe as a whole.

In the America, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the nation. A effort to scrub Black history and narrative from the records is ongoing. One of the former president's initial presidential directives aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

Against this backdrop, the month represents how minimally it can be impactful if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the conditions of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. Denise Miller, a prof at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”

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Reevaluating, Not Abandoning

Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just discontinue events including Black History Month altogether, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an era that has been ineffective.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an foundation that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.

So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not shy away from governmental matters, and provides room for citizens, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has basic knowledge of the past when it ignores the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Establishments who celebrate it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and awareness of subtle slights, but challenged by the threats that face all if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.