When I think of Black History Month, there are a few things that come to mind.

My thoughts immediately turn to secondary school, and each year reflecting on Black icons of the past from Martin Luther King to Mary Seacole and hearing their stories of overcoming adversity and why they among many others are to be remembered and admired.

While the lessons were somewhat informative and allowed space to celebrate the milestones of prominent Black figures, the role they played began to change as I navigated through the world as a Black British woman. The older I got, the more I realised that the experiences we read about in school still remain rampant today with racism and xenophobia on the rise.

And yet, still once a month we come together to celebrate Blackness without getting to the heart of addressing the real issues that still plague our society – until now.

The theme for Black History Month this year in the UK has been “action not words” – a theme which allows for there to be a focus on actioning change and taking it a step beyond classes rooms and reflecting solely on the past but also how Black figures in the past took action and how we as a society can continue to do the same.

“This year’s phrase of ‘action not words’ represents an important shift in focus where we need to prioritise tackling racism in practical and tangible ways,” says Northern Irish singer-songwriter and activist Winnie Ama.

Cultural historian Sofia Akel, says the phrase represents to her a “tiredness and frustration derived from decades of well-strung-together statements” – some of which were well-meaning while others were performative.

“What they all have in common is a lack of action,” she says. “The time to act is way past due.”

Nadine Bernard, a headteacher and founder of the award-winning six-month online programme Aspiring Heads adds that the theme reflects a renewed stance on Black History Month and why the phrase represents everyone coming together to actively show their support rather than just saying it.

“Action not words mean doesn’t tell me you are not racist; show me via your behaviours and the decisions you make,” she says. “It means don’t tell me about the racial inequalities, but take your next steps to challenge what you notice, no matter how big or small. Don’t just put an inclusive poster on a wall or write a policy. Instead, have challenging conversations and create a meaningful action plan that will be implemented with passion and sincerity.”

The theme for this month comes at a time when we have seen action, particularly with the Black Lives Movement which resurged after the death of George Floyd. As a result, actionable change has come to the fore. From the removal of statues of known slave owners like Edward Coulson to the emergence and support for more grassroots anti-racism and community-based organisations, we are seeing these changes happen in real-time and the people working to create them.

But that remains fraught with the various inequalities and injustices which have followed and proved just how much work still needs to be done.

Last year, more than 100,000 racist hate crimes were recorded in England and Wales for the first time last year, with offences against all minority groups rose by more than a quarter. 

This came during a time when the widely condemned 2021 report of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, reached the conclusion that institutional racism does not exist in the UK, highlighting one of the many examples of denial that often plagues the UK when acknowledging the deep and painful past of racism which is entrenched its society – and it continues to filter through today.

From the controversial deportation charter flights to the death of Black men like Chris Kaba and Ian McDonald-Taylor, racism remains an issue at large that seeps into every facet of society – but it isn’t treated like so and it makes it challenging to truly combat it with action when trying to rally everyone to see it for what it is.

“One of the many challenges when it comes to creating actionable change is that there is still a large culture of denial around racism,” says Ama. “Some people don’t believe that there is a significant amount of racism in the UK anymore and if people don’t think something exists, then it’s very hard to convince them to invest energy in changing that thing.”

Ama adds that scepticism towards change is another challenge as “some people believe that the UK is so racist that it can’t be changed and there’s no point in trying.”

“They’ll often suggest ways to work around it rather than address it. I feel like this type of indifference comes from fatigue from dealing with racism so much that they feel worn out. Then there is also the fear of change for some who feel like highlighting Black history somehow means rewriting British history, even though Black History is a critical part of British history.

“It’s a disservice to the British public to only spoon-feed them the basic and comfortable parts of history, without explaining the true state of the uncomfortable past and present. Fearing change is a common way to hold back change, but in this case, if change is feared then perhaps those people are the same ones benefiting from lies about British history.”

Bernard agrees. “White fragility is a massive challenge, as confronting racism often means an evaluation of oneself. Although some white people proactively take steps to face up to racism and recognise the worth of being comfortable with being uncomfortable so that issues can be discussed and explored, there are also many white people who don’t invest the time to face up to racism and prefer to dismiss it as an issue or only acknowledge it at arm’s length.”

While it’s clear to see that the challenges to creating actionable change are evident, it’s important to remind ourselves that words are the building blocks for change. After all, hashtags like #Blacklivesmatter created a space for people to mobilise, learn and create change within their own spaces – but as Akel says, we must remember that words are the starting process and don’t begin and end there.

“Any sustainable movement that leads to social change requires several elements that run simultaneously,” says Akel. “In the case of Black liberation, it is in the words but also in the action. A sustained change cannot happen if we trade one for the other, both are equally as essential.

“To create the change we do need words – the right words,” adds Ama. “Social media is a great example of how words can mobilise and inspire movements as we did in the BLM protests which all started on social media. We need words to create intention and direction in our movements towards equality and they need to culminate in strategic action to create change.”

Words play a significant role in creating the changes we need – and will continue to – but as the theme for Black History Month this year suggests, action is where we must all collectively focus our efforts during Black History Month and beyond.

“I think Black History Month is still needed and will be needed until the concept of Black History is fully embraced as part of British history,” admits Ama. “I also believe that the ideas from Black History Month of awareness and acknowledgement of Black culture and history should expand outside of October and be a daily part of British history and cultural awareness.”

One way to do this according to Ama is by acknowledging that racial injustice is more than just a Black issue but one that requires change from all.

“Black communities are doing a lot and have dealt with a lot, but there’s always more that can be done until real change happens,” says Ama. “However, it can’t be left only to Black communities to create change and I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect Black communities to do everything. I think we need to continue to unite with our allies, build that community deeper, and wider and continue to educate them on our experiences - staying loud, staying focused and staying united.

“Each of us possesses varying degrees of power and influence, yet many of us would refute that,” says Akel. “It could be the influence that you have in your friendships or the boardroom, it could be what you share online to the conversations you have with strangers. Once we reckon with the ‘self’ the pathways to action become more clear. We each have a voice (be it auditory or online), we each have the responsibility for our own actions, education and learning.

“The first and most prominent challenge is deciding if you fit in the fight for racial equity, the answer should always be yes.”

Image: Getty