Malcolm X and Black Power
The movement of Black Power was aimed at rallying young black men and women to be activists in the fight for civil rights. It originated from a slogan that became popular in the 1960’s when the leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee of Howard University, Stokely Carmichael, used it in a speech during a civil rights march in Mississippi. The major goal of the movement was to inspire and encourage black people to unite and rely on each other instead of the white community. According to Carmichael, Black Power was “a call for black people in this country to unite, to recognize their heritage, to build a sense of community. It is a call for black people to define their own goals, to lead their own organizations.”[1] This idea created an explosion of pride, particularly among young, black activists.
A major contributor to the movement was Malcolm X. In his early years as an orator and activist, Malcolm would declare the words and thoughts of Elijah Muhammad and would base his statements on Muhammad’s views. He, and other leaders during the Black Power Movement, encouraged blacks to have pride in being black and to honor their color. He gave credit to Muhammad for what he was teaching that “is making our people, for the first time, proud to be black, and what’s more important of all, for the first time it makes our people want to know more about black, want to know why black is good, or what there is about black that is good.”[2] Despite his initial following of Muhammad, Malcolm later separated himself from his mentor’s nonviolent approach. Malcolm’s approach included reacting to the way blacks were being treated. He stated, “We are non-violent with people who are non-violent with us. But we are not non-violent with anyone who is violent with us.”[3] He insisted that blacks should control their own lives by contributing political and economical resources, and encouraged them to rely on their own people, rather than the efforts of white people. Another leader in this movement was Stokely Carmichael, who coined the phrase “Black Power.” Carmichael differed in his views from Dr. Martin Luther King, who fought for integration of blacks and whites. Carmichael, along with Malcolm X, desired black separatism for his people. He declared, “It is a call for black people in this country to unite, to recognize their heritage, to build a sense of community. It is a call for black people to define their own goals, to lead their own organizations.”[4]
Women served a purpose in the black power movement as well. The Black Panther Party advocated self-defense in response to police brutality. The Party alarmed law-enforcement with their use of military dress and weapons. Eventually the party was declared to be a large threat to the country and FBI officials killed or arrested several members. One thing unnoticed by the FBI, however, was that women accounted for 2/3 of the Black Panther membership by the 1970’s.[5] After the arrest and killing of Party members, women turned their efforts to local activism. They organized food, housing and health care among black communities. They ran schools and other community-centered organizations. They created campaign propaganda to support candidates who were endorsed by the Party. Women also created much of the artwork displayed in the Party’s publication The Black Panther.
Many methods were used to spread the movement of black power. Leaders such as Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael used the power of speech to inspire and preach to others in order to persuade them to lead for themselves and create their own goals. They organized marches in various locations to protest and gather strength for their movement. Followers adopted traditional African styles of dress and hairstyles to show pride for their race. Members of the Black Panther Party used forcible persuasion when needed toward members of the community to motivate them to assist the movement. They staged boycotts against business owners who refused to donate items or money to their cause.
The turn to black power created controversy among black and white people and some would argue that it was unsuccessful because it separated black people who took a nonviolent approach to the civil rights movement. Black power instilled fear among most white people, including those who had already turned sympathetic to the civil rights movement. Due to the actions of the Black Panther Party, black power instilled fear in some black people as well. One of the most recognized and respected men of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, disagreed with the tactics of Malcolm and declared Carmichael’s term of black power to be “an unfortunate choice of words.”[6] However, Malcolm’s desire to create stronger black communities and rely less on the white society was successful as black people began creating their own schools, health clinics and housing assistance programs. Leaders such as Malcolm X and Carmichael did much to instill pride in their fellow black men and women. The movement of black power thrust the civil rights movement into the spotlight even further than before it’s origination.
Works Cited
Martin, Nicole. "The Clayman Institute for Gender Research." Women Key in Shaping Black Panther Party. January 6, 2014. Accessed November 19, 2014. http://gender.stanford.edu/news/2014/women-key-shaping-black-panther-party.
"Salt Lake Community College." Salt Lake Community College. Accessed November 18, 2014. http://digital.films.com.dbprox.slcc.edu/play/LEJTRN.
"Stokely Carmichael." History.com. Accessed November 22, 2014. http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/stokely-carmichael.
"Malcolm X - Speeches Black Man's History." Malcolm X - Speeches Black Man's History. Accessed November 19, 2014. http://www.malcolm-x.org/speeches/spc_12__62.htm.
[1] “Stokely Carmichael” http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/stokely-carmichael
[2] Black Man’s History, Malcolm X. http://www.malcolm-x.org/speeches/spc_12__62.htm
[3] http://digital.films.com.dbprox.slcc.edu/play/LEJTRN
[4] “Stokely Carmichael” http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/stokely-carmichael
[5] “Women Key in Shaping Black Panther Party.” Nicole Martin, The Clayman Institute for Gender Research.
[6] “Stokely Carmichael” http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/stokely-carmichael
The movement of Black Power was aimed at rallying young black men and women to be activists in the fight for civil rights. It originated from a slogan that became popular in the 1960’s when the leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee of Howard University, Stokely Carmichael, used it in a speech during a civil rights march in Mississippi. The major goal of the movement was to inspire and encourage black people to unite and rely on each other instead of the white community. According to Carmichael, Black Power was “a call for black people in this country to unite, to recognize their heritage, to build a sense of community. It is a call for black people to define their own goals, to lead their own organizations.”[1] This idea created an explosion of pride, particularly among young, black activists.
A major contributor to the movement was Malcolm X. In his early years as an orator and activist, Malcolm would declare the words and thoughts of Elijah Muhammad and would base his statements on Muhammad’s views. He, and other leaders during the Black Power Movement, encouraged blacks to have pride in being black and to honor their color. He gave credit to Muhammad for what he was teaching that “is making our people, for the first time, proud to be black, and what’s more important of all, for the first time it makes our people want to know more about black, want to know why black is good, or what there is about black that is good.”[2] Despite his initial following of Muhammad, Malcolm later separated himself from his mentor’s nonviolent approach. Malcolm’s approach included reacting to the way blacks were being treated. He stated, “We are non-violent with people who are non-violent with us. But we are not non-violent with anyone who is violent with us.”[3] He insisted that blacks should control their own lives by contributing political and economical resources, and encouraged them to rely on their own people, rather than the efforts of white people. Another leader in this movement was Stokely Carmichael, who coined the phrase “Black Power.” Carmichael differed in his views from Dr. Martin Luther King, who fought for integration of blacks and whites. Carmichael, along with Malcolm X, desired black separatism for his people. He declared, “It is a call for black people in this country to unite, to recognize their heritage, to build a sense of community. It is a call for black people to define their own goals, to lead their own organizations.”[4]
Women served a purpose in the black power movement as well. The Black Panther Party advocated self-defense in response to police brutality. The Party alarmed law-enforcement with their use of military dress and weapons. Eventually the party was declared to be a large threat to the country and FBI officials killed or arrested several members. One thing unnoticed by the FBI, however, was that women accounted for 2/3 of the Black Panther membership by the 1970’s.[5] After the arrest and killing of Party members, women turned their efforts to local activism. They organized food, housing and health care among black communities. They ran schools and other community-centered organizations. They created campaign propaganda to support candidates who were endorsed by the Party. Women also created much of the artwork displayed in the Party’s publication The Black Panther.
Many methods were used to spread the movement of black power. Leaders such as Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael used the power of speech to inspire and preach to others in order to persuade them to lead for themselves and create their own goals. They organized marches in various locations to protest and gather strength for their movement. Followers adopted traditional African styles of dress and hairstyles to show pride for their race. Members of the Black Panther Party used forcible persuasion when needed toward members of the community to motivate them to assist the movement. They staged boycotts against business owners who refused to donate items or money to their cause.
The turn to black power created controversy among black and white people and some would argue that it was unsuccessful because it separated black people who took a nonviolent approach to the civil rights movement. Black power instilled fear among most white people, including those who had already turned sympathetic to the civil rights movement. Due to the actions of the Black Panther Party, black power instilled fear in some black people as well. One of the most recognized and respected men of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, disagreed with the tactics of Malcolm and declared Carmichael’s term of black power to be “an unfortunate choice of words.”[6] However, Malcolm’s desire to create stronger black communities and rely less on the white society was successful as black people began creating their own schools, health clinics and housing assistance programs. Leaders such as Malcolm X and Carmichael did much to instill pride in their fellow black men and women. The movement of black power thrust the civil rights movement into the spotlight even further than before it’s origination.
Works Cited
Martin, Nicole. "The Clayman Institute for Gender Research." Women Key in Shaping Black Panther Party. January 6, 2014. Accessed November 19, 2014. http://gender.stanford.edu/news/2014/women-key-shaping-black-panther-party.
"Salt Lake Community College." Salt Lake Community College. Accessed November 18, 2014. http://digital.films.com.dbprox.slcc.edu/play/LEJTRN.
"Stokely Carmichael." History.com. Accessed November 22, 2014. http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/stokely-carmichael.
"Malcolm X - Speeches Black Man's History." Malcolm X - Speeches Black Man's History. Accessed November 19, 2014. http://www.malcolm-x.org/speeches/spc_12__62.htm.
[1] “Stokely Carmichael” http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/stokely-carmichael
[2] Black Man’s History, Malcolm X. http://www.malcolm-x.org/speeches/spc_12__62.htm
[3] http://digital.films.com.dbprox.slcc.edu/play/LEJTRN
[4] “Stokely Carmichael” http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/stokely-carmichael
[5] “Women Key in Shaping Black Panther Party.” Nicole Martin, The Clayman Institute for Gender Research.
[6] “Stokely Carmichael” http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/stokely-carmichael