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We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an celebration that began as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass gatherings where African descendants are paid to talk to white audiences about hidden biases and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The wave has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.

The Origins of Black History Observance

Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this campaign 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 UK, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.

The month has transformed since those days, focusing less on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the month is commemorated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a good lesson in how assimilation 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 Troubling Time

Few things illustrate how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a elected representative gains confidence to state that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, far-right parties are growing in Europe as a whole.

In the United States, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A campaign to scrub Black history and experience from the records is under way. One of the former president's initial presidential directives focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

Against this backdrop, the celebration symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the realities of the contemporary world. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. An academic expert, a educator at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”

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Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a urge to just do away with things like Black History Month completely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an time that has not worked.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an framework that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.

So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is spread out across all seasons (as various establishments are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves mere awareness of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Establishments who observe it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the threats that face all if anti-racism is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and adaptive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.