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This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an observance that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include events where individuals of African heritage are paid to talk to Caucasian groups about hidden biases and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.

The Background of Black History Celebration

First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.

The month has developed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the observance is commemorated is a indication of the political moment. 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 address structural and organizational discrimination.

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A Jarring Moment

Few things illustrate how important it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the current time in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a legislator feels emboldened to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the European continent as a whole.

In the United States, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A campaign to erase Black history and narrative from the historical documents is in progress. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

In this context, the celebration symbolises how minimally it can be impactful if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content celebrations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the realities of the current era. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. An academic expert, a educator at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”

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Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Determining how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment 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 completely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an time that has been ineffective.

However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an foundation that a lot of work has been dedicated to. 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 contemporary active Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not evade political issues, and allows opportunity for people, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has mere awareness of the bygone era when it fails to address the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Establishments who mark it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and alertness to minor insults, but faced with the dangers that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, critical, and reactive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is required – Black History is Now Month.