Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?

This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an celebration that began as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a commercial tone, expanding to include gatherings where individuals of African heritage are paid to talk to white audiences about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The surge has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.

The History of Black History Celebration

Initially celebrated 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 remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in winter, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The period has developed since that time, placing less emphasis on the narratives of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and more on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the celebration is observed is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a good lesson in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.

A Troubling Time

Hardly anything shows how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the summer we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a member of parliament feels emboldened to state that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in Europe as a entirety.

In the United States, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A drive to scrub Black history and narrative from the archives is in progress. One of the political figure's first executive orders aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.

Against this backdrop, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be influential if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized celebrations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the situation of the present. It also reveals how its short period means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is required. A university professor, a professor at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The problem with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a agent of progress.”

Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Determining how to adjust, modify and expand actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just eliminate events including Black History Month altogether, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an period that has failed to deliver.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an foundation that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.

So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not shy away from governmental matters, and leaves space for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is mere awareness of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Organizations who mark it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and alertness to subtle slights, but faced with the risks that face all if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and adaptive. Perhaps an total re-identification is in order – Black History is Now Month.