The Challenge of Black
Power
Angela Brown
Chapter 29 Section 4
1964 Martin Luther King Jr. won Nobel
Peace Prize.
 Some questioned his approach and the
movement became divided.
 Many African Americans angered by the
continuing injustice.

James Baldwin
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1963 The Fire Next Time
told how oppression had
set African Americans
apart and made them
stronger.
Baldwin’s essays and
novels were powerful
descriptions of African
American experience –
Notes of a Native Son.
http://blogs.citypages.com/pscholtes/images/James%20Baldwin.jpg
Malcolm X

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Born Malcolm Little in
Omaha, Nebraska
1925.
Father a Baptist
Minister who spread
Marcus Garvey’s
“back to Africa”
message.
Father died during
childhood.
http://www.jtf.org/america/jjj.malcolm.x.sunglasses.hat.200.jpg
Malcolm turned to a life of crime in
ghettos of Detroit, Boston, and New York.
 Arrested for burglary and served seven
years in prison where he joined the
Nation of Islam called Black Muslims –
(preached black separation and selfhelp)

http://course.lib.uci.edu/ed/spirit/focusnew/TeacherDevelopment/images/
Malcolm%20X.jpg
Black Nationalism
Nation of Islam founded n 1933 in
Chicago by Elijah Muhammad.
 Taught Allah would bring a “black
nation” union of nonwhite people.
 Key to self knowledge knowing your
enemy – white society.

http://www.albany.edu/jmmh/vol1no1/elijahm-1.jpg
Did not seek change through political
means – waited for Allah to create Black
Nation – tried to lead righteous lives and
become economically self-sufficient.
 1952 Malcolm released from prison –
changed name to Malcolm X – 12 years
minister of Nation
 Malcolm gave fiery speeches to spread
ideas of black nationalism.
 A belief in the separate identity and racial
unity of African American community.

Opposition to Integration
Malcolm X called March on Washington
“Farce on Washington” – rejected
integration
 1964 Malcolm X broke with nation due
to disagreement with Muhammad –
formed Muslim Mosque, Inc.
 Then made a pilgrimage to Mecca – holy
city of Islam in Saudi Arabia

March
on
Washington
http://www.tcnj.edu/~brown82/march_on_washington.jpg
Mecca
http://www.arabia.it/english/islam/mecca2.jpg

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Seeing Muslims of all races worshipping
peacefully changed his views about
separatism and hatred of white people- change
upset some of African American community.
Returned ready to work with other Civil
Rights leaders and even some White
Americans.
Feb 1965 shot to death at New York rally by
three members of Nation of Islam.
The Black Power Movement
Stokely Carmicheal – SNCC leader
influenced by Malcolm X
 Born in Trinidad, West Indies in 1941 –
moved to U.S. at age 11
 Soon tired of nonviolent protest due to
beatings and jail
 called on SNCC workers to carry guns
for self-defense
 rejected white activists

Stokely Carmicheal

Carmicheal’s idea of
black power called
on African
Americans “to unite,
to recognize their
heritage, to build a
sense of
community, to
define own goals.
http://www.ancient-knowledge-breakthrough.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures
/StokelyCarmichael.jpg
The Black Panthers

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1966 militant political party formed by
activists Bobby Seale and Huey Newton.
Wanted African Americans to lead own
communities and demanded federal
government rebuild ghettos to make up for
the years of neglect.
Violent encounters with police yet set up daycare centers and free breakfast programs.
Black Panthers
http://designermagazine.tripod.com/BlackPanthersPIC1.jpg
The Black Panthers
“Black is Beautiful” slogan
 SNCC and Black Panthers moved away
from NAACP and other moderate
groups = split in civil rights movement

Riots in the Streets
De jure segregation – racial separation
created by law – battled early on
 De facto segregation – tougher – caused
by social conditions, poverty, - fact of
life in most American cities in education,
housing, and employment
 Frustration and anger boiled over into
riots in New York City, Rochester, and
New Jersey.

One of most violent riots occurred in Los
Angeles neighborhood of Watts – Aug
1965
 Police pulled over a black man for
drunken driving – peaceful at first but
when he resisted arrest an officer
panicked and began swinging his baton
 Outraged crowd touched off six days of
rioting.

National guard and police gained control
but 34 people dead – more than a
thousand injured.
 Federal government set up special
National Advisory Commission on Civil
Disorders to investigate.
 1n 1968 declared riots an explosion of
smoldering anger in ghettos.

Legacy of the Movement
Between 1970-1975 the number of
African American elected officials rose
by 88%.
 Black mayors elected in Atlanta, Detroit,
Los Angeles, and Newark NJ.
 Others served in Congress and state
legislatures
 (Ex: Barbara Jordan of Texas).
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