Black History Month is a reflection of the current political climate, so in what ways can we modernize it?

It's Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an event that began as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate events where Black people are remunerated to talk to predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has peaked, 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 established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and the Holland.

The observance has developed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and more on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the observance is observed is a indication of the current political situation. How it evolves is a good lesson in how co-option leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.

A Disconcerting Period

Little demonstrates how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month more than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the recent season we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels emboldened to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Simultaneously, far-right parties are expanding in the European continent as a entirety.

In the America, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the country. A campaign to remove African American heritage and legacy from the historical documents is in progress. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

Against this backdrop, the observance symbolises how little it can be impactful if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the situation of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. An academic expert, a professor at an educational institution, put it best when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”

Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just do away with observances such as Black History Month altogether, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an era that has been ineffective.

However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an framework that a considerable labor has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already beginning to do), elements of its material (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not evade politics, and provides room for people, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What use is simple recognition of the history when it fails to address the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the street? Institutions who celebrate it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and alertness to minor insults, but confronted with the risks that face all if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and adaptive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is required – Black History is Now Month.