Black History Month serves as a mirror of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?

It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an celebration that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate events where Black people are paid to speak with predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The wave has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.

The Background of Black History Celebration

First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in October in the Britain, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The period has transformed since that time, giving reduced attention to the histories of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the month is celebrated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it develops is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.

A Disconcerting Period

Little demonstrates 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 form of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels empowered to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are surging in the European continent as a entirety.

In the US, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A drive to remove Black history and narrative from the historical documents is in progress. One of the former president's early administrative commands targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

Against this backdrop, the celebration symbolises how minimally it can be effective if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the realities of the current era. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is required. A university professor, a educator at a learning establishment, put it best when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”

Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand actions for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just discontinue events including Black History Month entirely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an era that has not worked.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an foundation that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not shy away from political issues, and provides room for people, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What use is basic knowledge of the history when it ignores the present reality of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Institutions who celebrate it should not be comforted with the passive language of hidden discrimination and awareness of subtle slights, but faced with the dangers that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and adaptive. Perhaps an complete renaming is in order – Black History is Now Month.