Black History Month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so what steps can we take to refresh it?

We are in Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a re-evaluation. Over the years, an celebration that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has developed a commercial tone, expanding to include gatherings where African descendants are compensated to address white audiences about hidden biases and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The tide has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.

The History of Black History Observance

First commemorated 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 evolved from this campaign and was publicly established in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the UK, Deutschland, Ireland and the Holland.

The period has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and more on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the way the observance is commemorated is a reflection of the political moment. How it evolves is a good lesson in how co-option leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.

A Disconcerting Period

Few things illustrate how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the current time in which it falls this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the recent season we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a place where a legislator gains confidence to say that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a source of worry. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are growing in Europe as a complete entity.

In the United States, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the highest courts of the state. A effort to scrub African American heritage and legacy from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the political figure's early administrative commands aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.

In this context, the celebration symbolises how little it can be effective if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content festivities of historical achievements, rather than challenging the situation of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”

Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just eliminate events including Black History Month entirely, thinking they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an era that has not worked.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an framework that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.

So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out across all seasons (as various establishments are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a time that does not avoid politics, and provides room for people, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the past when it fails to address the present reality of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Organizations who celebrate it should not be pacified with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and awareness of subtle slights, but challenged by the dangers that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and adaptive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.