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It's Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an event that started out as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has developed a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate events where individuals of African heritage are compensated to talk to white audiences about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.

The Origins of Black History Month

First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the Britain, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.

The month has developed since that time, giving reduced attention to the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and increasingly on notable African descendants in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the method the month is commemorated is a indication of the political moment. How it develops is a instructive case in how co-option leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.

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A Disconcerting Period

Few things illustrate how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the current time in which it occurs this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the summer we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a legislator feels empowered to say that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the European continent as a complete entity.

In the US, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been taken, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the country. A campaign to erase the history of people of color and experience from the records is under way. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to change the national past” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

In this context, the celebration symbolises how little it can be influential if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or depoliticized festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the conditions of the contemporary world. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is required. An academic expert, a educator at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”

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Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Establishing how to alter, change and broaden efforts for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a inclination to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month entirely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are vestiges of an era that has been ineffective.

However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an framework that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.

So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed through the year (as various establishments are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) included in educational programs. It would also be a period that does not shy away from politics, and leaves space for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the bygone era when it fails to address the contemporary truth of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Organizations who observe it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and awareness of “microaggressions”, but faced with the dangers that impact society if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and reactive. It could be that an complete renaming is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.