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It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an celebration that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has developed a commercial tone, expanding to include gatherings where Black people are paid to speak with predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.

The Background of Black History Celebration

First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.

The month has evolved since those days, giving reduced attention to the histories of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and more on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the method the observance is observed is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it develops is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.

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A Disconcerting Period

Little demonstrates how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the UK, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the recent season we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a legislator gains confidence to say that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the European continent as a complete entity.

In the America, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A campaign to scrub African American heritage and legacy from the archives is ongoing. One of the political figure's early administrative commands aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.

Against this backdrop, the observance symbolises how minimally it can be effective if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized festivities of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the realities of the contemporary world. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. Denise Miller, a educator at University of Greenwich, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”

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Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just do away with things like Black History Month completely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an time that has been ineffective.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an infrastructure that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.

So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not evade political issues, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What value has mere awareness of the bygone era when it ignores the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Institutions who celebrate it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and awareness of minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that impact society if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and responsive. Maybe an complete renaming is required – Contemporary Black History Month.