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We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an celebration that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include functions where African descendants are remunerated to talk to predominantly white listeners about hidden biases and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The wave has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.

The Origins of Black History Observance

Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.

The observance has developed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and increasingly on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the way the observance is celebrated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it progresses is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.

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A Jarring Moment

Few things illustrate how important it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the recent season we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a legislator gains confidence to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, far-right parties are surging in the European continent as a whole.

In the United States, a colossal assault against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the state. A campaign to remove African American heritage and experience from the archives is under way. One of the political figure's first executive orders focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

Given these circumstances, the month symbolises how insufficiently it can be effective if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the situation of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. Denise Miller, a educator at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”

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Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden actions for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a urge to just discontinue events including Black History Month entirely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an era that has been ineffective.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an infrastructure that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.

So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not shy away from governmental matters, and provides room for people, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What use is mere awareness of the past when it ignores the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Institutions who observe it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and alertness to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the threats that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and responsive. It could be that an total re-identification is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.