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Black Power Movement
Black Power Movement
CONCEPTS
MIND MAP
CONCEPTS
Black Power Black nationalists believed that the use of force was justified in
Movement order to gain social, political and economic power for African
Americans. It grew out of the Civil Rights Movement but was
not a formal movement as it had no central leadership. The
Black Power Movement aimed to accelerate the process of
change so that African Americans had the same opportunities
as whites.
Militant Military in attitude; assertive, achieving goals by using force.
Short-term and
Black Panther;
long-term gains.
Roles of Stokely
Carmichael and
Malcolm X; and
Conclusion: Overview of the progress, if any, that was made towards equality
and civil rights by the Civil Rights and Black Power movements
Key figures:
● Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael: leaders of the Black Power Movement.
● Bobby Searle and Huey Newton: leaders of the Black Panther Party
Introduction:
The Black Power Movement grew out of black dissatisfaction with the achievements of the
Civil Rights Movement in the second half of the 1960s.
Reasons for the movement
● While the Civil Rights Movement had helped achieve the gains of the Civil Rights Act
and the Voting Rights Act, the economic situation of most African-Americans had not
improved significantly.
● The majority of black people lived in crowded ghettoes, under poor conditions -
ghettoes were places of poverty and crime.
● In 1967, one third of all black families lived below the government’s poverty level.
Many were unemployed or paid low wages.
● The police provided little protection; in fact, they were often guilty of brutality at the
expense of the inhabitants.
● Black people were still subject to much discrimination and sometimes open racial
abuse and violence.
● African-Americans who supported the Black Power Movement believed that using
violence was justified if it meant gaining equality for all Americans.
● Black Power instilled a feeling of racial pride and self-worth in African-Americans. For
the first time, they were encouraged to acknowledge their African heritage and take
pride in their culture.
In June 1966, James Meredith undertook a solitary March against Fear to protest against
racism. When he was shot, others took up his march, including the Student’s Non-violent
Coordinating Committee. Stokely Carmichael, its new leader, was arrested. Although
Carmichael did not invent the term ‘Black Power’ he now proceeded to popularise it.
Black Power
● Malcolm X, leader of the Nation of Islam, was an eloquent advocate for Black Power.
● Those who supported Black Power believed in: black self-pride and self-esteem
● (‘Black is Beautiful’ became a very popular slogan.)
● the promotion of black interests; black self-help
● self-defence against racial oppression
● the fostering of a distinctive black culture; a self-sufficient black economy.
● They were also involved in violent confrontations with the police, in which about 50
people died, both policemen and Panthers, and many more were injured.
● Huey Newton was convicted of murdering a policeman in 1967 and served three
years before his conviction was set aside on appeal.
● Carmichael urged African Americans to take pride in being black. He was in favour of
African dress and Afro hair styles and wanted African Americans to recognise their
heritage.
● Carmichael joined the Black Panther Party and promoted the black power movement
as a leader, speaker and writer.
Role of Malcolm X
● An eloquent speaker and dedicated human rights activist, Malcolm X played a key
role in the Black Power Movement
● He was a member of the Nation of Islam (NOI), a Muslim group which taught that
white society was deliberately preventing African Americans from empowering
themselves.
● Malcolm X became one of the leaders of the Nation of Islam after he was parolled
from prison in 1952.
● This Islamic sect had the following black nationalist ideas: There could be no
integration between black and white Americans. Seperation between black and
white Americans was necessary so that black people no longer depended on
whites.
● As a spokesperson for the NOI, Malcolm X’s eloquence and charisma attracted many
new members to this organisation..
● At local level, black political action groups and grassroots associations were set up to
campaign around specific issues.
● In very general terms, a debate was sparked over the ‘nature of American society
and the place of African-Americans in it.’
Some long-term gains of the Black Power Movement were the following:
● Increased black self-confidence and self-esteem.
● A related long-term gain would be the sense of greater solidarity [standing together]
among African-Americans.
● A greater sense of ethnic identity also developed over time. This included a sense of
a unique African-American culture in music (e.g. soul), fashion, hairstyles (e.g. the
Afro), literature, art and even food.
● Related to these points is the ‘Black is Beautiful’ movement, which emphasised the
naturally beauty of African-Americans.
● Other social justice groups sprang from the example of Black Power, for example,
black feminists, environmental movements, affirmative action and gay and lesbian
rights’ movements.
Conclusion: An overview of the progress, if any, that was made towards equality and
civil rights by the civil rights and Black Power
● There can be no doubt that the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements helped to
bring about significant progress towards equality and civil rights for African-
Americans and other minorities.
● Various Civil Rights acts were passed. The most notable was that of 1964 which
outlawed discrimination based on racial, ethnic, national, religious and gender
identity. The Act of 1968 made it illegal to discriminate in matter related to housing.
The Voting Act of 1965 made it illegal to discriminate in voting practice.
● Another development has been the application of affirmative action by the federal
government, especially in the late 1960s and 1970s.
● Both movements had the effect of raising black self-confidence and self-esteem.
Evidence of this is the growth of the ‘Black is Beautiful’ movement and the rich
development of black art and culture in a range of fields.
● A new respect for black people developed among many whites. A symbol of this was
the creation in 1983 of an annual Martin Luther King Jr Day.
● The economic situation of some black people has improved significantly since the
1960s and a strong black middle class has developed.
● However poverty persists for many African-Americans who still to this day suffer
certain social and educational disadvantages.