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It's Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an observance that started out as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has developed a commercial tone, growing to encompass events where Black people are remunerated to speak with white audiences about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The surge has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.

The Background of Black History Celebration

First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved 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, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Holland.

The observance has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the month is celebrated is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a good lesson in how co-option leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.

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A Disconcerting Period

Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a member of parliament gains confidence to say that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the EU as a entirety.

In the America, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A campaign to remove African American heritage and legacy from the records is in progress. One of the former president's initial presidential directives focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.

Against this backdrop, the month illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the conditions of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. A university professor, a prof at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”

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Reevaluating, Not Abandoning

Determining how to alter, change and broaden efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just eliminate things like Black History Month entirely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an time that has failed to deliver.

However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an infrastructure that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.

So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not evade governmental matters, and provides room for individuals, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What value has mere awareness of the history when it ignores the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Establishments who celebrate it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and alertness to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the dangers that impact society if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and responsive. It could be that an total re-identification is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.