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This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it appears it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an observance that started out as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate gatherings where African descendants are remunerated to address predominantly white listeners about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. Yet, that phase is now over. The wave has reached its height, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.

The Origins of Black History Observance

First commemorated in the US and Canada, Black History Month was established in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of commemoration and observance 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 winter, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Éire and the Netherlands.

The period has developed since its inception, placing less emphasis on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and struggles for equality, and more on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and extensively acknowledging the contribution Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most commonly celebrated, with talks and cultural events. But the way the celebration is celebrated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it progresses is a valuable example in how assimilation leads to dismantling: the restructuring of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to confront structural and organizational discrimination.

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A Troubling Time

Few things illustrate how crucial it is to reevaluate Black History Month more than the current time in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we observed the biggest extreme right demonstration in British history. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a member of parliament gains confidence to say that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a source of worry. At the same time, extreme conservative groups are surging in Europe as a complete entity.

In the America, a significant offensive against DEI and affirmative action has been taken, frequently with success, to the highest courts of the state. A effort to remove Black history and legacy from the records is ongoing. One of Donald Trump's early administrative commands targeted the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to alter the country's historical narrative” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.

In this context, the celebration illustrates how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is limited to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered celebrations of contributions in the past, rather than challenging the conditions of the present. It also shows how its short period means that it is separated from the broader ongoing work that is required. An academic expert, a professor at University of Greenwich, put it best when she voiced worries about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The problem with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month turns into a transient display rather than a agent of progress.”

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Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Determining how to adapt, revise and extend efforts for racial equality and recognition in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a inclination to just discontinue things like Black History Month completely, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an era that has been ineffective.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the complete comprehensive structure and tradition of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an infrastructure that a considerable labor has been invested in. 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 look like? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a time that does not shy away from politics, and allows opportunity for citizens, particularly youth, to share their anxieties and narratives. What purpose serves basic knowledge of the bygone era when it ignores the current situation of far-right rallies in the street? Establishments who observe it should not be reassured with the passive language of implicit prejudice and alertness to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the threats that affect everyone if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and reactive. Maybe an entire name rebrand is necessary – Black History is Now Month.