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It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a re-evaluation. Throughout its history, an celebration that was initiated as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between international African diaspora communities, has adopted a commercial tone, expanding to include gatherings where African descendants are remunerated to talk to Caucasian groups about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade generated a rise in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has reached its height, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.

The History of Black History Observance

First commemorated in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, Germany, Éire and the Holland.

The period has transformed since its inception, giving reduced attention to the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the observance is observed is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to weakening: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.

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A Disconcerting Period

Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month better than the current time in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the form of the Reform party is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we saw the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. a prominent political figure, the person of color at the helm of the Conservative party, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a legislator gains confidence to state that the absence of Caucasian individuals in specific city neighborhoods is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, extreme conservative groups are surging in the EU as a complete entity.

In the US, a massive attack against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A effort to erase the history of people of color and experience from the records is in progress. One of the former president's first executive orders focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, alleging that they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.

In this context, the month symbolises how insufficiently it can be effective if it is confined to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered festivities of historical achievements, rather than addressing the conditions of the current era. It also demonstrates how its restricted time span means that it is detached from the broader ongoing work that is required. An academic expert, a prof at a learning establishment, put it best when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The difficulty with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”

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Reconsidering, Not Discarding

Determining how to adjust, modify and expand efforts for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a urge to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month completely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an time that has been ineffective.

However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of racial movements – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and certainly, even commercial engagements – form an framework that a lot of work has been invested in. 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 appear as? Firstly, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed through the year (as various establishments are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a time that does not evade governmental matters, and provides room for citizens, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What value has basic knowledge of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the public spaces? Institutions who observe it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and alertness to minor insults, but challenged by the risks that face all if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made current, pressing, and reactive. It could be that an complete renaming is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.