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This is Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has taken on a commercial tone, growing to encompass gatherings where Black people are paid to talk to Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The wave has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.

The Background of Black History Observance

First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was created 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 February's second week. Black History Month grew out of 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 Britain, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.

The month has transformed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the way the celebration is observed is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the point of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.

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A Disconcerting Period

Few things illustrate how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the specific period in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels empowered to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. At the same time, far-right parties are expanding in Europe as a entirety.

In the US, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the country. A drive to remove Black history and legacy from the records is in progress. One of the former president's first executive orders targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.

In this context, the observance illustrates how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than challenging the conditions of the current era. It also demonstrates how its limited duration means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is required. Denise Miller, a educator at a learning establishment, put it best when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”

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Reevaluating, Not Abandoning

Figuring out how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just eliminate observances such as Black History Month altogether, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an time that has been ineffective.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an framework that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.

So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not shy away from governmental matters, and provides room for people, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves mere awareness of the history when it ignores the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Establishments who observe it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and reactive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is in order – Black History is Now Month.