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It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an event that began as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has developed a commercial tone, expanding to include gatherings where Black people are paid to talk to Caucasian groups about hidden biases and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The wave has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.

The Origins of Black History Month

Initially celebrated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.

The period has transformed since its inception, 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 politics, culture, and activism, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the month is celebrated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it evolves is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.

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A Jarring Moment

Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the form 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. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels emboldened to say that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, far-right parties are surging in Europe as a complete entity.

In the US, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been carried, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A drive to erase the history of people of color and legacy from the historical documents is under way. One of the former president's early administrative commands focused on the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

Given these circumstances, the observance illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the situation of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. An academic expert, a professor at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”

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Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Determining how to adjust, modify and expand actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a treacherous thing. There is a inclination to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, believing they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an time that has not worked.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an framework that a considerable labor has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.

So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a era that does not evade politics, and leaves space for citizens, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What value has simple recognition of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Organizations who observe it should not be reassured with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to subtle slights, but faced with the threats that impact society if anti-racism is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and adaptive. Perhaps an total re-identification is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.