The annual Black History observance is a reflection of the current political climate, so how do we revamp it?

It's Black History Month in the UK, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an celebration that started out as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between global Black communities, has taken on a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate gatherings where Black people are remunerated to address predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The surge has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.

The History of Black History Observance

Initially celebrated in the United States and Canada, 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 February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in winter, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.

The period has evolved since that time, focusing less on the histories of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the method the month is commemorated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it develops is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.

A Disconcerting Period

Little demonstrates how important it is to reconsider Black History Month more than the current time in which it falls this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the summer we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the UK's past. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, 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. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are expanding in the EU as a complete entity.

In the America, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the state. A drive to scrub African American heritage and experience from the archives is in progress. One of the former president's initial presidential directives focused on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to alter the country's historical narrative” by representing the nation “as naturally discriminatory”.

Given these circumstances, the celebration represents how little it can be effective if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized commemorations of contributions in the past, rather than addressing the situation of the current era. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”

Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Determining how to adapt, revise and extend actions for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a urge to just do away with events including Black History Month entirely, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an era that has not worked.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of campaigns for equality – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an infrastructure that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.

So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) integrated into academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not avoid governmental matters, and provides room for individuals, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What purpose serves simple recognition of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Establishments who observe it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and awareness of “microaggressions”, but confronted with the dangers that affect everyone if anti-racism is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and responsive. Perhaps an total re-identification is in order – Black History is Now Month.