The annual Black History observance acts as a gauge of the current political climate, so what steps can we take to refresh it?

It's Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, 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, growing to encompass events where African descendants are remunerated to address white audiences about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The tide has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.

The History of Black History Observance

First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in October in the Britain, Germany, Éire and the Holland.

The month has evolved since that time, giving reduced attention to the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and increasingly on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the month is celebrated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it progresses is a good lesson in how co-option leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.

A Troubling Time

Little demonstrates how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the current time in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the recent season 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 right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a legislator gains confidence to state that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the EU as a complete entity.

In the United States, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A campaign to erase the history of people of color and legacy from the archives is under way. One of the political figure's early administrative commands targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.

Against this backdrop, the observance illustrates how insufficiently it can be influential if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered commemorations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the conditions of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is required. Denise Miller, a prof at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”

Reevaluating, Not Abandoning

Establishing how to alter, change and broaden actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a inclination to just do away with observances such as Black History Month altogether, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an period that has been ineffective.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an infrastructure that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed through the year (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not avoid governmental matters, and provides room for citizens, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is simple recognition of the history when it ignores the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Establishments who celebrate it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and alertness to subtle slights, but faced with the threats that face all if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and reactive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is in order – Black History is Now Month.