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This is Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a rethink. As time has passed, an celebration that began as a festivity and recollection of history, culture and the connections between Black populations worldwide, has adopted a corporate feel, expanding to include functions where Black people are paid to speak with Caucasian groups about hidden biases and active solidarity. The anti-racism rallies of the last decade created a surge in the enterprise of displaying cultural sensitivity. But even that moment has passed. The tide has peaked, producing a diluted aftermath of what promoting consciousness is for.

The Origins of Black History Month

First commemorated in the America and its northern neighbor, Black History Month was established in 1962 as an observance of African American heritage by Black scholar Carter G. Woodson with a week of celebration and reflection in the second week of February. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the North America in winter, but also in October in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The period has developed since its inception, focusing less on the histories of the slave trade across the Atlantic and civil rights battles, and greater focus on prominent Black figures in public life, creative fields, and advocacy, and broadly celebrating the contribution Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in schools where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the method the observance is commemorated is a reflection of the contemporary political context. How it develops is a good lesson in how assimilation leads to weakening: the transformation of Black History Month has hindered the purpose of it, which is to address systemic and institutional racism.

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A Disconcerting Period

Little demonstrates how critical it is to rethink Black History Month more than the particular moment in which it takes place this year. In the UK, a resurgent right in the guise of the Reform political group is top in opinion ratings. In the warmer months we witnessed the biggest extreme right demonstration in the history of Britain. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the Tory party, is a staunch adversary of Black Lives Matter, and we are in a position where a elected representative feels emboldened to declare that “not seeing any white faces” in specific city neighborhoods is a source of worry. Simultaneously, ultra-nationalist movements are surging in the EU as a complete entity.

In the US, a colossal assault against inclusion programs and preferential policies has been taken, often successfully, to the top legal institutions of the state. A campaign to erase African American heritage and legacy from the records is in progress. One of the former president's first executive orders aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to change the national past” by depicting the United States “as naturally discriminatory”.

In this context, the observance illustrates how minimally it can be impactful if it is restricted to either dutiful corporate observances, or politically neutered celebrations of historical achievements, rather than confronting the realities of the current era. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is separated from the more extensive continuous action that is needed. Denise Miller, a professor at University of Greenwich, put it best when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the month. “The difficulty with adopting a symbolic stance”, she commented, “is that it frequently results in that Black History Month becomes a brief show rather than a catalyst for change.”

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Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning

Determining how to adjust, modify and expand actions for fair treatment and appreciation in such times of discouragement and concern is a difficult task. There is a urge to just eliminate events including Black History Month completely, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are relics of an time that has failed to deliver.

Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and tradition of campaigns for equality – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and yes, even those talks to businesses – represent an foundation that a significant effort has gone into. It is there not only to deteriorate as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.

So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be more than a single focused period: something that is distributed across all seasons (as certain organizations are already beginning to do), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) included in academic syllabi. It would also be a period that does not avoid politics, and leaves space for people, particularly young people, to share their anxieties and narratives. What value has simple recognition of the history when it fails to address the present reality of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the street? Organizations who mark it should not be reassured with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and awareness of “microaggressions”, but confronted with the dangers that face all if anti-racism is not approached earnestly. In short, Black History Month should be made current, critical, and reactive. Perhaps an total re-identification is required – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.