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It's Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an event that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate functions where individuals of African heritage are paid 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 displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The surge has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.

The History of Black History Month

First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with seven days of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the North America in the second month, but also in October in the UK, Germany, Ireland and the Holland.

The observance has evolved since that time, placing less emphasis on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the observance is celebrated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it evolves is a good lesson in how co-option leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.

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A Disconcerting Period

Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the warmer months we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a legislator gains confidence to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in Europe as a whole.

In the United States, a significant offensive against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been carried, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the country. A campaign to remove the history of people of color and legacy from the records is under way. One of the former president's first executive orders aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.

Given these circumstances, the observance symbolises how insufficiently it can be influential if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered commemorations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the conditions of the current era. It also shows how its limited duration means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is needed. A university professor, a professor at a learning establishment, put it best when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the celebration. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”

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Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Determining how to adjust, modify and expand actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such moments of dejection and worry is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just do away with things like Black History Month entirely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an period that has not worked.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, DEI programs, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an framework that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not merely to decline as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not shy away from governmental matters, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is simple recognition of the bygone era when it ignores the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Organizations who celebrate it should not be comforted with the passive language of implicit prejudice and alertness to minor insults, but confronted with the threats that face all if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, pressing, and reactive. Perhaps an complete renaming is required – Contemporary Black History Month.