Black History Month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so how do we revamp it?

It's Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an celebration that started out as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has taken on a corporate feel, expanding to include gatherings where individuals of African heritage are paid to speak with Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what increasing understanding is for.

The Origins of Black History Celebration

First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was created in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in February, but also in autumn in the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.

The observance has developed since those days, placing less emphasis on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and more on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the way the month is observed is a reflection of the current political situation. How it develops is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to weakening: the restructuring of Black History Month has impeded the point of it, which is to address structural and organizational discrimination.

A Troubling Time

Little demonstrates how important it is to rethink Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the recent season we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in British history. a prominent political figure, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a member of parliament feels emboldened to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the European continent as a entirety.

In the United States, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been brought, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the state. A drive to erase the history of people of color and narrative from the historical documents is under way. One of the former president's early administrative commands aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the prestigious establishment, accusing them of a coordinated and broad attempt to alter the country's historical narrative” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.

In this context, the celebration symbolises how insufficiently it can be effective if it is restricted to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the conditions of the present. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is needed. Denise Miller, a professor at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The issue with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”

Reevaluating, Not Abandoning

Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just eliminate events including Black History Month completely, thinking they are no longer suitable, or are vestiges of an time that has been ineffective.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of campaigns for equality – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an foundation that a considerable labor has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around prominent figures of color) included in school curriculums. It would also be a era that does not avoid political issues, and leaves space for citizens, particularly the younger generation, to air their fears and experiences. What value has mere awareness of the past when it fails to address the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Organizations who observe it should not be comforted with the passive language of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the risks that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and responsive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.