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It's Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an event that started out as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has developed a corporate feel, broadening to incorporate gatherings where individuals of African heritage are compensated to talk to predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The wave has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what promoting consciousness is for.

The History of Black History Celebration

First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar 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 formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the Britain, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.

The month has transformed since its inception, focusing less on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and more on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the impact 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 manner the celebration is celebrated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a valuable example in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to tackle systemic and institutional racism.

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A Disconcerting Period

Little demonstrates how critical it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a resurgent right in the form of the Reform party is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we observed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels emboldened to say that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, extreme conservative groups are growing in the European continent as a whole.

In the America, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A effort to erase African American heritage and legacy from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the former president's early administrative commands aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.

Given these circumstances, the month represents how little it can be impactful if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered celebrations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the realities of the current era. It also reveals how its short period means that it is detached from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. Denise Miller, a prof at University of Greenwich, put it best when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The problem 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.”

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Reevaluating, Not Abandoning

Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just do away with observances such as Black History Month altogether, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an period that has been ineffective.

However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – constitute an framework that a considerable labor has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a vital organism.

So what would a new dynamic Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not avoid political issues, and leaves space for people, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What use is simple recognition of the bygone era when it fails to address the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Institutions who mark it should not be pacified with the passive language of implicit prejudice and awareness of subtle slights, but challenged by the dangers that face all if anti-racism is not treated with importance. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and reactive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.