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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Nesrine Malik

Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?

Composite illustration - main pic: a demonstration on Gresham Road past the Brixton Police Station in support of the 'Brockwell Three' organised by the Black Workers' Movement (BWM), South London, UK, 4th July 1973. Inset left: Front cover of the magazine Race Today, January 1976. Top right: Literature from BHM 2025.
Unapologetic defiance … a broad celebration of Black people’s contribution to shaping history and the world as we know it. Illustration: Joe Plimmer/Guardian pictures/Getty Images

It’s Black History Month in the UK, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Over the years, an event that started out as a celebration and reminder of history, culture and the connections between global Black communities, has taken on a corporate feel, expanding to include events where Black people are paid to talk to white audiences about “unconscious bias” and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests created a surge in the business of demonstrating racial awareness. But even that moment has passed. The wave has crested, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what raising awareness is for.

The history of Black History

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