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This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. As time has passed, an observance that began as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a corporate feel, expanding to include functions where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to address Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and supportive partnership. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The wave has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.

The Background of Black History Month

First commemorated in the US 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 multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month developed from this campaign and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The period has evolved since those days, placing less emphasis on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the month is commemorated is a manifestation of the political moment. How it evolves is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the objective of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.

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A Jarring Moment

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 United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the summer we witnessed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels empowered to say that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are growing in Europe as a entirety.

In the United States, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A drive to scrub the history of people of color and narrative from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the former president's first executive orders targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the renowned cultural organization, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

Given these circumstances, the observance symbolises how minimally it can be influential if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the situation of the current era. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. Denise Miller, a prof at an educational institution, put it best when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The difficulty with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”

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Reevaluating, Not Abandoning

Determining how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a inclination to just discontinue events including Black History Month completely, assuming they are no longer suitable, or are remnants of an period that has failed to deliver.

However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and yes, even those talks to businesses – constitute an framework that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.

So what would a contemporary active 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 school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not avoid political issues, and leaves space for people, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What value has simple recognition of the bygone era when it fails to address the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Institutions who celebrate it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to minor insults, but faced with the risks that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not approached earnestly. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and responsive. Maybe an total re-identification is in order – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.