This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?

We are in Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an event that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a commercial tone, expanding to include gatherings where African descendants are paid to talk to white audiences about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.

The History of Black History Month

Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with seven days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in winter, but also in October in the Britain, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.

The month has evolved since that time, giving reduced attention to the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and more on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the celebration is commemorated is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.

A Troubling Time

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 Britain, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a member of parliament gains confidence to declare that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the European continent as a complete entity.

In the United States, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the nation. A campaign to scrub African American heritage and narrative from the historical documents is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's initial presidential directives aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.

Given these circumstances, the month illustrates how little it can be impactful if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized celebrations of historical achievements, rather than challenging the situation of the current era. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is detached from the wider consistent effort that is required. An academic expert, a professor at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”

Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend actions for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just do away with things like Black History Month altogether, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an time that has not worked.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an framework that a lot of work has been invested in. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.

So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already starting to implement), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not avoid governmental matters, and provides room for citizens, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has basic knowledge of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Institutions who observe it should not be comforted with the passive language of hidden discrimination and awareness of subtle slights, but confronted with the risks that affect everyone if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and adaptive. It could be that an total re-identification is necessary – Black History is Now Month.