The Effect of Black Power on the Emergence of Yellow Power

The emergence of the Black Power movements in the early 1960s coincided with the peak of success for the Civil Rights campaign - the legislation of 1964-65. Thereafter, the focus of campaigns had to move the practical issues related to social and economic deprivation, and the ability to exercise the rights that had been gained. By 1968 little had changed, and it is therefore easy to claim that Black Power movements achieved nothing, and in fact had a negative impact on black Americans.

During the 1960s, a number of movements of oppressed or underrepresented groups in American society emerged protesting the discrimination they experienced. The democratic ideals they advocated for were not limited to more voting rights as underrepresented minorities, but also included social and economic justice so they could serve as fully functional members of society. In doing so, the leaders of each movement tackled the advocation of their rights in varying manners, based largely on their beliefs and the objectives of the movement they were involved with. Some people believe each all protest movements of the 1960s sought to redefine American democracy to similar or identical levels. However, both ethnic minority groups and women sought

The beginning of black militancy in the United States is said to have begun with the chants “Black Power” demanded by Stokely Carmichael and Willie Ricks during the 1966 March against Fear. While Carmichael and Ricks may have coined the phrase “black power”, the roots of the movement had been planted long before by Mr. Robert F. Williams. In Timothy Tyson’s book: Radio Free Dixie: Robert F. Williams and the Roots of Black Power, Tyson details the life of a remarkable man who had the audacity not only to challenge racial injustice in America but also to contest the rarely disputed strategies of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Establishment.

Social movements are actions of history that have shaped the way societies run and the values their citizens uphold. The Black Power Movement is one example of a major social movement is the history of the United States. While it stemmed from and contains a purpose similar to that of the Civil Rights Movement, a shift in attitude and leadership gave the Black Power Movement (BPM) its own unique identity. Musicking and the use of music changed with the times to reflect this new movement and is arguably one of the central reasons the BPM is examined as its own tour de force in the push for equal rights.

Black power was a movement that had evolved from previous generations, which displayed struggles to acquire change and equality for black people in America. It was a very moving time for America where white people witnessed African Americans coming together and organizing movements against the government. Individuals such as Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Robert F. Williams, Rosa Parks and many other influential individuals, who paved the way for a new generation to bring forth change to the black community. This was a period where laws and regulations such as Jim Crow, segregation, and voting discrimination became illegal and therefore overturned. This was the opportunity for African Americans to fight back and speak out to bring forth social changes to their communities as

When we look at the historical developments of that time from hindsight, it is hard to overlook some of the accuracy of the criticism that many Black Power advocates labeled against the political establishment and the fragile nature of the accomplished racial reforms. In the same vein, historians should not be afraid to address the viability of Black Power practices and ideas in a more critical manner. However, in so doing, they need to set their investigations properly in the context under which the activists operated. For many African American activists Black Power was more than just a political strategy. It was a psychological refuge from White distortions and misrepresentations in the press and in history books that began to take a toll after more than a decade of intense and often life-threatening activism.

Originating in the North, this movement took on a more radical stance: one that maintained racial separation and aimed to form a separate Black identity and encourage self-reliance and independence from whites (Source I). The Black Power Movement aimed to end institutionalised racism in the Northern states and call for social justice while improving the living conditions of Black people in urban areas who were living in poverty and often subjected to police brutality, although it can be noted that segregation laws were not in place in the North. (Source L). A prominent leader of the Black Power Movement was Malcolm X, who considered the Black Power Movement to be supportive of a nationalist ‘Black’ revolution which mainly focused on the accumulation of land and, as a result, independence as opposed to the ‘Negro’ revolution based on the Civil Rights Movement which focused on integration between races (Source

Black power is the result of provoking a century’s worth of submission, struggle and suffering. For many, America was considered divided between the whites and blacks, which caused protest from the African Americans due to the racial inequality. For the past century, blacks have led passive protest with little or no change to their well being. Black power aims to change that, one of their core ideology is that Blacks must unite without the help of whites to face racism while not standing idle and using any means necessary. Black power stems from the influences of Pan-Africanism and Black empowerment while also going against the core ideas present in Civil Rights Movement like the nonviolence movement.

The 1960s was an era of the civil rights movements that African Americans held to end segregation and racism. Although African Americans faced abundance of hindrances throughout their strive for equality, they responded with increased courage, hope and determination.

Both the African American integrationist movement and Black Power movement had common goals such as ending racial injustice towards African Americans and advocating civil rights for African Americans in the United States. Yet, the ideologies of the two movements and how they went about accomplishing their goals was drastically different. While the integrationist movement relied on concepts such as Christian Universalism and Non-Violent Direct Action (NVDA), the Black Power movement relied on more explicit means such as direct action and mobilization with violence if necessary. In general however, it seems that both movements had well-defined overarching ideologies. For the integrationist movement, Non-Violence was the key to successful integration.

The 1960s was a wild decade all around the world. It was a time of change, the "baby boom" generation was reaching adulthood, the culture of the time promoted sex, drugs and rock and roll, and civil rights issues were tearing the United States of America apart. Three major civil rights issues nearly tore the nation apart in the 1960s. Desegregation of the public school system had the end result of integrating black and white children into the same school. New Black Nationalism began to demand economic justice and legal equality and they would fight for it at any cost. Those struggles made by African-Americans gave other groups the inspiration to protest for what they thought was right. Affirmative Action which was brought in the 1960s as a

Due to the lack of a definitive definition of the term “black power” whites interpreted it as an “expression a new racism” (Rustin 430). In contrast, blacks thought of “black power” as a signal to whites that blacks would not tolerate the treatment that they had received. The Black Power movement created tension in which Rustin believed the movement “diverts the (civil rights) from a meaningful debate over strategy and tactics, it isolates the Negro community, and it encourages the growth of anti-Negro forces” (Rustin 430). Thus, this tension would prohibit the progression of the civil rights movement.

The 1960’s comprised of many different movements that sought the same goal of achieving equality, equality in means of: political, economical, and social equality. Two similar movements emerged during this era that shared the same ideologies: the Chicano and the Black Power Movement. Both shared a similar ideology that outlined their movement, which was the call for self-determination. The similar experiences that they had undergone such as the maltreatment and the abuse of power that enacted was enacted by the dominant Anglo race helped to shape these ideologies. Despite their similar ideology, they differed in how they achieved this goal, by either obtaining political participation or going to the extreme as using force to achieve their

“Power” is an outcry at what is going on and has been going on with the African American peoples throughout the last four-hundred years: “they had dragged her 4´10´´ black woman’s frame/over the hot coals of four centuries of white male approval” (35,36). The lack of

Black Power, the idea of “…African Americans controlling the social, political, and economic institutions in their community,”3 coined by Stokely Carmichael, harvested the support of blacks across America as they saw that “integration is the illusion of inclusion.”4 The idea of “Black Power” was meant “…to start bringing black people together under a slogan that everyone understood.”5 “Students began to challenge the meaning and purpose of education and forced colleges and universities to reexamine their role and function in American Society… (They) demonstrated that education should and did serve to enlighten a people relative to their civil rights and social justice.“6