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This is Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an event that was initiated as a commemorative event of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, expanding to include gatherings where Black people are remunerated to speak with predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s created a surge in the industry of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The tide has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.

The History of Black History Celebration

Originally observed in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of commemoration and observance in the middle of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in October in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.

The period has developed since that time, focusing less on the histories of colonial slavery and civil rights battles, and increasingly on prominent Black figures in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the way the month is celebrated is a indication of the current political situation. How it evolves is a good lesson in how co-option leads to erosion: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.

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A Troubling Time

Few things illustrate how crucial it is to rethink Black History Month as much as the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a firm opponent of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator feels emboldened to declare that the absence of Caucasian individuals in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in Europe as a complete entity.

In the America, a massive attack against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A campaign to remove Black history and narrative from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the political figure's early administrative commands focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

Against this backdrop, the observance illustrates how insufficiently it can be influential if it is restricted to either obligatory business commemorations, or depoliticized festivities of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the situation of the present. It also shows how its short period means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is needed. An academic expert, a prof at a learning establishment, expressed it perfectly when she voiced worries about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it often means that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”

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Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just discontinue things like Black History Month altogether, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an period that has failed to deliver.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an foundation that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.

So what would a new dynamic Black History Month appear as? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not avoid politics, and provides room for people, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Establishments who mark it should not be pacified with the neutral terminology of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to subtle slights, but confronted with the dangers that face all if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and adaptive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.