🔗 Share this article

We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an event that started out as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has developed a commercial tone, expanding to include events where African descendants are compensated to address Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The surge has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.

The Origins of Black History Month

Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in winter, but also in autumn in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.

The observance has evolved since its inception, focusing less on the accounts of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the observance is celebrated is a manifestation of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.

---

A Jarring Moment

Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month as much as the current time in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we observed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a elected representative gains confidence to state that “not seeing any white faces” 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 diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A campaign to remove the history of people of color and narrative from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the political figure's early administrative commands aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.

Given these circumstances, the celebration represents how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the realities of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is needed. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, put it best when she expressed apprehension about the short-term symbolic gestures 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 driver of transformation.”

---

Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just discontinue things like Black History Month entirely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an time that has failed to deliver.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an foundation that a considerable labor has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.

So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed through the year (as certain organizations are already commencing), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not avoid political issues, and provides room for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What use is simple recognition of the past when it fails to address the present reality of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Institutions who observe it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but faced with the risks that impact society if anti-racism is not treated with importance. In short, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and reactive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is required – Black History is Now Month.