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We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an event that started out as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has developed a commercial tone, expanding to include gatherings where African descendants are paid to address Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has peaked, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.

The Background of Black History Celebration

First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in February, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The observance has evolved since its inception, focusing less on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the celebration is celebrated is a indication of the political moment. How it evolves is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.

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A Jarring Moment

Few things illustrate how important it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the current time in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the summer we witnessed the largest far-right rally in British history. 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 say that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. At the same time, far-right parties are expanding in Europe as a whole.

In the US, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A drive to scrub Black history and legacy from the archives is ongoing. One of the political figure's first executive orders focused on 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 portraying America “as inherently racist”.

In this context, the month symbolises how minimally it can be impactful if it is confined to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the conditions of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is required. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”

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Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Determining how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, believing they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an period that has not worked.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an framework that a lot of work has been dedicated to. 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 fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed through the year (as some institutions are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not evade political issues, and leaves space for individuals, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has basic knowledge of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Organizations who mark it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to subtle slights, but confronted with the threats that face all if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and adaptive. It could be that an complete renaming is required – Contemporary Black History Month.