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This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an event that was initiated as a celebration and reminder of heritage, traditions and links between international African diaspora communities, has developed a business-like atmosphere, broadening to incorporate events where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to address Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade sparked an increase in the enterprise of demonstrating racial awareness. However, that period has concluded. The wave has peaked, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what increasing understanding is for.

The Origins of Black History Celebration

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 celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month developed from this initiative and was formally inaugurated 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, the Republic of Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The period has transformed since its inception, focusing less on the narratives of transatlantic enslavement and struggles for equality, and increasingly on influential individuals of color in government, the arts, and social movements, and extensively acknowledging the impact Black people have made to shape the country. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most regularly observed, with lectures and artistic activities. But the manner the celebration is celebrated is a reflection of the political moment. How it progresses is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has stymied the purpose of it, which is to tackle structural and organizational discrimination.

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A Troubling Time

Few things illustrate how important it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the current time in which it takes place this year. In the Britain, a revitalized conservative movement in the guise of the Reform party is leading the polls. In the recent season we observed the largest far-right rally in the history of Britain. Kemi Badenoch, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a member of parliament gains confidence to say that “not seeing any white faces” in certain urban areas is a reason for concern. At the same time, ultra-nationalist movements are expanding in the EU as a whole.

In the United States, a significant offensive against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been brought, frequently with success, to the top legal institutions of the state. A drive to remove the history of people of color and narrative from the records is ongoing. One of the former president's early administrative commands targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as inherently racist”.

In this context, the month represents how little it can be impactful if it is confined to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or stripped of political content celebrations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the situation of the present. It also shows how its short period means that it is disconnected from the more extensive continuous action that is required. Denise Miller, a educator at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the temporary “tokenism” of the month. “The issue with embracing a superficial method”, she wrote, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a catalyst for change.”

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Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Determining how to adapt, revise and extend actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a difficult task. There is a temptation to just discontinue observances such as Black History Month altogether, believing they are inadequate for current needs, or are relics of an period that has been ineffective.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and legacy of activism for racial justice – local anti-racism groups, DEI programs, and certainly, even commercial engagements – represent an foundation that a lot of work has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the political landscape shifts (and in fact, declines), but to be a living breathing thing.

So what would a contemporary active Black History Month appear as? Well, first, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is spread out throughout the annual calendar (as some institutions are already starting to implement), elements of its material (particularly around notable African descendants) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a time that does not evade politics, and provides room for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to express their concerns and stories. What use is simple recognition of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the urban areas? Organizations who observe it should not be pacified with the passive language of hidden discrimination and alertness to “microaggressions”, but confronted with the risks that face all if opposition to discrimination is not treated with importance. Briefly stated, Black History Month should be made current, urgent, and reactive. It could be that an entire name rebrand is necessary – Black History is Now Month.