🔗 Share this article

We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an celebration that was initiated as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a commercial tone, growing to encompass functions where Black people are compensated to address white audiences about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests sparked an increase in the business of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The tide has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.

The History of Black History Celebration

Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The month has developed since those days, placing less emphasis on the accounts of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and more on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the method the month is celebrated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it evolves is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.

---

A Disconcerting Period

Few things illustrate how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we saw the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a member of parliament gains confidence to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a reason for concern. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in Europe as a entirety.

In the United States, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A campaign to scrub Black history and experience from the archives is under way. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.

Against this backdrop, the month symbolises how minimally it can be impactful if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the situation of the current era. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is required. An academic expert, a prof at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”

---

Reevaluating, Not Abandoning

Determining how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month entirely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an period that has failed to deliver.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an infrastructure that a significant effort has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.

So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a time that does not evade politics, and leaves space for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has basic knowledge of the bygone era when it ignores the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Establishments who observe it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to minor insults, but faced with the threats that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and reactive. Perhaps an complete renaming is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.