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It's Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has developed a corporate feel, expanding to include gatherings where African descendants are paid to address Caucasian groups about hidden biases and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.

The Background of Black History Observance

First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in February, but also in October in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The month has evolved since that time, placing less emphasis on the accounts 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 widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to shape the country. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the method the observance is commemorated is a indication of the current political situation. How it evolves is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.

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A Troubling Time

Hardly anything shows how important it is to rethink Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we saw the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a legislator gains confidence to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, far-right parties are expanding in the EU as a entirety.

In the US, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, often successfully, to the highest courts of the country. A campaign to scrub African American heritage and experience from the records is under way. One of the political figure's first executive orders aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

Against this backdrop, the observance illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or politically neutered celebrations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the conditions of the present. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a educator at an educational institution, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”

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Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just do away with things like Black History Month entirely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an period that has not worked.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an infrastructure that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.

So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as various establishments are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What use is mere awareness of the bygone era when it ignores the current situation of far-right rallies in the street? Organizations who mark it should not be reassured with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to subtle slights, but challenged by the dangers that affect everyone if anti-racism is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and reactive. Maybe an total re-identification is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.