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This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an celebration that began as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a commercial tone, expanding to include functions where Black people are compensated to talk to white audiences about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. However, that period has concluded. The surge has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.

The Origins of Black History Observance

Initially celebrated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, Germany, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The observance has transformed since that time, placing less emphasis on the accounts of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and increasingly on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the observance is celebrated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it progresses is a instructive case in how co-option leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.

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A Jarring Moment

Few things illustrate how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the current time in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the warmer months we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a legislator gains confidence to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, far-right parties are expanding in Europe as a whole.

In the United States, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been brought, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A effort to scrub Black history and legacy from the archives is under way. One of the political figure's first executive orders targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.

In this context, the celebration represents how minimally it can be impactful if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the situation of the current era. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is required. Denise Miller, a educator at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”

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Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Determining how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month altogether, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an era that has failed to deliver.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an foundation 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 living breathing thing.

So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed through the year (as various establishments are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not evade political issues, and provides room for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What use is simple recognition of the past when it ignores the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Institutions who mark it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that face all if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and responsive. It could be that an complete renaming is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.