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This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a reassessment. As time has passed, an celebration that was initiated as a commemorative event of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate functions where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to address predominantly white listeners about “unconscious bias” and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the industry of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.

The Background of Black History Month

First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G. Woodson with a week of remembrance and recognition in the middle of February. Black History Month grew out of this movement and was formally inaugurated 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 UK, Germany, Ireland and the Holland.

The month has developed since that time, placing less emphasis on the accounts of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and more on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the impact Black people have made to mold society. It is in schools where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with talks and cultural events. But the manner the month is commemorated is a manifestation of the current political situation. How it develops is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the objective of it, which is to confront embedded and established prejudice.

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A Troubling Time

Hardly anything shows how critical it is to reevaluate Black History Month as much as the current time in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the summer we witnessed the largest far-right rally in the UK's past. a prominent political figure, the Black leader of the Conservative party, is a strong critic of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels empowered to state that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. Meanwhile, far-right parties are surging in Europe as a whole.

In the United States, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A campaign to remove Black history and narrative from the archives is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands focused on the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the prestigious establishment, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by portraying America “as fundamentally prejudiced”.

In this context, the month illustrates how minimally it can be influential if it is limited to either obligatory business commemorations, or stripped of political content festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the realities of the present. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is necessary. A university professor, a professor at a learning establishment, articulated it most accurately when she voiced worries about the short-term symbolic gestures of the celebration. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month becomes a fleeting performance rather than a driver of transformation.”

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Reevaluating, Not Abandoning

Figuring out how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for racial equality and recognition in such times of discouragement and concern is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just do away with things like Black History Month altogether, thinking they are inadequate for current needs, or are remnants of an era that has been ineffective.

But despite everything, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and tradition of activism for racial justice – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – represent an framework that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not merely to decline as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a living breathing thing.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be not just one concentrated month: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already commencing), elements of its material (particularly around prominent figures of color) incorporated into educational programs. It would also be a period that does not avoid political issues, and leaves space for citizens, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has mere awareness of the history when it doesn’t reckon with the contemporary truth of far-right rallies in the urban areas? Establishments who celebrate it should not be reassured with the non-confrontational words of “unconscious bias” and alertness to subtle slights, but faced with the dangers that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made contemporary, urgent, and responsive. It could be that an total re-identification is necessary – Contemporary Black History Month.