🔗 Share this article

We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an observance that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a corporate feel, expanding to include events where Black people are remunerated to address white audiences about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.

The Background of Black History Celebration

First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the UK, Deutschland, Ireland and the Holland.

The month has developed since those days, placing less emphasis on the accounts of colonial slavery and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the observance is observed is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.

---

A Troubling Time

Few things illustrate how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels empowered to declare that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, far-right parties are expanding in the European continent as a complete entity.

In the US, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A effort to erase Black history and narrative from the archives is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

In this context, the month illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the situation of the present. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is required. An academic expert, a professor at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”

---

Reevaluating, Not Abandoning

Determining how to alter, change and broaden actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just discontinue events including Black History Month entirely, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an period that has not worked.

However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and heritage of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an framework that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.

So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not shy away from political issues, and leaves space for people, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What value has mere awareness of the bygone era when it fails to address the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Establishments who celebrate it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to subtle slights, but faced with the dangers that face all if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and responsive. It could be that an total re-identification is in order – Black History is Now Month.