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

This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an celebration that started out as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has adopted a commercial tone, growing to encompass gatherings where Black people are remunerated to address Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s generated a rise in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The tide has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.

The Origins of Black History Observance

Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in February, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Éire and the Netherlands.

The observance has evolved since its inception, placing less emphasis on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the celebration is commemorated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it develops is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.

A Disconcerting Period

Little demonstrates how important it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the current time in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the summer we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a elected representative feels empowered to state that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a source of worry. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are growing in the EU as a whole.

In the United States, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the state. A drive to scrub the history of people of color and narrative from the historical documents is under way. One of the former president's initial presidential directives targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

In this context, the month illustrates how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than addressing the realities of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a educator at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”

Reevaluating, Not Abandoning

Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a inclination to just do away with observances such as Black History Month completely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an time that has been ineffective.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an foundation that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a dynamic entity.

So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed through the year (as some institutions are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not evade politics, and leaves space for individuals, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves simple recognition of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Institutions who mark it should not be pacified with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to subtle slights, but challenged by the risks that impact society if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and responsive. Maybe an total re-identification is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.