The annual Black History observance serves as a mirror of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?

It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an observance that began as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has developed a commercial tone, growing to encompass gatherings where individuals of African heritage are compensated to address Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The tide has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.

The Background of Black History Month

Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.

The observance has developed since that time, giving reduced attention to the narratives of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the way the celebration is observed is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a instructive case 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.

A Jarring Moment

Little demonstrates how critical it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels empowered to say that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in Europe as a complete entity.

In the United States, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A campaign to remove the history of people of color and experience from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

Against this backdrop, the celebration symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the realities of the current era. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. An academic expert, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”

Reevaluating, Not Abandoning

Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just discontinue events including Black History Month completely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an time that has been ineffective.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and heritage of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an foundation that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed through the year (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not avoid politics, and provides room for citizens, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What value has mere awareness of the past when it fails to address the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Organizations who observe it should not be pacified with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that face all if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, critical, and responsive. Maybe an total re-identification is required – Black History is Now Month.