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
View image in fullscreen Evolutionary change … these days, the month focuses less on the early fight for civil rights and more on figures that left their mark in culture, politics and activism. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
Originally observed in the US and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as “Negro History Week” by African American historian Carter G.
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