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This is Black History Month in the UK, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Over the years, an observance that started out as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between international African diaspora communities, has developed a commercial tone, growing to encompass events where Black people are compensated to speak with predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The tide has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what raising awareness is for.

The History of Black History Observance

Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with seven days of commemoration and observance in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was publicly established in 1970. Today it is observed not only in the North America in the second month, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, the Republic of Ireland and the Holland.

The period has developed since that time, focusing less on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in learning environments where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the month is observed is a manifestation of the political moment. How it progresses is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the point of it, which is to address embedded and established prejudice.

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A Jarring Moment

Hardly anything shows how crucial it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the particular moment in which it occurs this year. In the Britain, a reemerging right-wing in the form of the Reform organization is ahead in surveys. In the summer we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. a prominent political figure, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a place where a legislator feels empowered to declare that a lack of white people in specific city neighborhoods is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the EU as a entirety.

In the United States, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A effort to erase Black history and legacy from the records is ongoing. One of the former president's initial presidential directives aimed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, accusing them of a organized and extensive campaign to change the national past” by portraying America “as naturally discriminatory”.

In this context, the celebration symbolises how minimally it can be influential if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or depoliticized festivities of former accomplishments, rather than confronting the conditions of the present. It also reveals how its limited duration means that it is separated from the wider consistent effort that is required. Denise Miller, a professor at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a fleeting performance rather than a agent of progress.”

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Reevaluating, Not Abandoning

Establishing how to alter, change and broaden initiatives for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a urge to just do away with events including Black History Month entirely, assuming they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an period that has not worked.

However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and legacy of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an framework that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a living breathing thing.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month seem? Firstly, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in educational programs. It would also be a time that does not evade political issues, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly youth, to air their fears and experiences. What use is basic knowledge of the history when it fails to address the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the public spaces? Organizations who mark it should not be comforted with the non-confrontational words of implicit prejudice and sensitivity to subtle slights, but confronted with the risks that impact society if fight against prejudice is not taken seriously. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and responsive. Perhaps an entire name rebrand is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.