Black History Month acts as a gauge of the prevailing political atmosphere, so in what ways can we modernize it?

It's Black History Month in the Britain, and it feels like it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an observance that was initiated as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has developed a corporate feel, expanding to include events where individuals of African heritage are paid to address white audiences about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The tide has crested, producing a diluted aftermath of what increasing understanding is for.

The History of Black History Month

First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of remembrance and recognition in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in February, but also in the tenth month in the Britain, Deutschland, Éire and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The month has evolved since those days, giving reduced attention to the accounts of transatlantic enslavement and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on influential individuals of color in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with talks and cultural events. But the way the observance is observed is a reflection of the current political situation. How it evolves is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.

A Disconcerting Period

Few things illustrate how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the specific period in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a resurgent right in the shape of the Reform organization is leading the polls. In the recent season we observed the most significant ultra-conservative gathering in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the person of color at the helm of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a situation where a elected representative feels emboldened to declare that a lack of white people in parts of a city is a reason for concern. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the EU as a entirety.

In the US, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, repeatedly with positive outcomes, to the top legal institutions of the state. A drive to scrub African American heritage and experience from the records is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's first executive orders targeted the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the renowned cultural organization, alleging that they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

Against this backdrop, the observance represents how little it can be influential if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or stripped of political content festivities of contributions in the past, rather than confronting the conditions of the current era. It also reveals how its short period means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is necessary. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the short-term symbolic gestures of the observance. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”

Reevaluating, Not Abandoning

Figuring out how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month completely, believing they are no longer suitable, or are relics of an time that has not worked.

However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an infrastructure that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a vital organism.

So what would a new dynamic Black History Month look like? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as certain organizations are already commencing), parts of its content (particularly around notable African descendants) incorporated into academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not avoid politics, and provides room for people, particularly young people, to express their concerns and stories. What value has simple recognition of the past when it doesn’t reckon with the present reality of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Organizations who celebrate it should not be reassured with the passive language of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to minor insults, but confronted with the dangers that affect everyone if fight against prejudice is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and responsive. Perhaps an total re-identification is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.