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We are in Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an event that started out as a festivity and recollection of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a business-like atmosphere, growing to encompass events where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to address white audiences about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the industry of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The tide has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.

The Background of Black History Celebration

First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the February's second week. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.

The period has evolved since its inception, giving reduced attention to the histories of colonial slavery and struggles for equality, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the method the month is commemorated is a indication of the contemporary political context. How it evolves is a instructive case in how co-option leads to erosion: the reshaping of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.

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A Troubling Time

Few things illustrate how important it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the current time in which it falls this year. In the United Kingdom, a reemerging right-wing in the guise of the Reform political group is leading the polls. In the recent season we saw the largest far-right rally in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the right-wing political group, is a strong critic of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a legislator gains confidence to declare that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. Simultaneously, far-right parties are surging in the European continent as a whole.

In the US, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the supreme judicial bodies of the country. A campaign to erase the history of people of color and narrative from the records is in progress. 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 change the national past” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.

Given these circumstances, the observance illustrates how little it can be effective if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content commemorations of former accomplishments, rather than addressing the situation of the contemporary world. It also demonstrates how its short period means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, put it best when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the month. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a catalyst for change.”

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Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Establishing how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such moments of dejection and worry is a challenging endeavor. There is a urge to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month completely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are vestiges of an period that has not worked.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and yes, even those talks to businesses – form an infrastructure that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, declines), but to be a dynamic entity.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? To begin with, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as various establishments are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around historic Black characters) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not avoid politics, and provides room for citizens, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What value has simple recognition of the bygone era when it ignores the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the street? Institutions who celebrate it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the risks that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and adaptive. It could be that an complete renaming is in order – Contemporary Black History Month.