🔗 Share this article

This is Black History Month in the Britain, and it seems it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an event that began as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass events where Black people are paid to speak with Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. But even that moment has passed. The wave has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.

The Background of Black History Month

First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Currently it is marked not only in the US and Canada in winter, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The month has evolved since its inception, 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 politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the input Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the way the month is celebrated is a indication of the current political situation. How it progresses is a instructive case in how assimilation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.

---

A Jarring Moment

Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the shape of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the warmer months we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a position where a legislator gains confidence to say that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are growing in the EU as a entirety.

In the US, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the nation. A drive to remove African American heritage and experience from the historical documents is in progress. One of the political figure's initial presidential directives aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a organized and extensive campaign to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

Given these circumstances, the celebration represents how minimally it can be influential if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content commemorations of historical achievements, rather than addressing the situation of the contemporary world. It also reveals how its short period means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is required. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, expressed it perfectly when she expressed apprehension about the temporary “tokenism” of the observance. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”

---

Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend actions for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just discontinue things like Black History Month entirely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an era that has been ineffective.

However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of racial movements – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an foundation that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a time that does not evade political issues, and provides room for citizens, particularly young people, to air their fears and experiences. What purpose serves mere awareness of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the public spaces? Establishments who observe it should not be comforted with the passive language of hidden discrimination and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the dangers that face all if anti-racism is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and reactive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is in order – Black History is Now Month.