Black Power

In the background of African Americans in United States, there were some incredible movements and images which seem to capture the feeling of the country and also the black community in those days.  And this key phrase “black power” is undoubtedly one of the most basic and elegant statements of unity and pride in the black community.  However it was also a phrase that came to symbolize the more violent and offensive side of the challenge for equal rights in the black community.  Which makes it a controversial phrase then and today.

Most likely the greatest image of black power is the powerful hand of the black men, clenched in a black glove and elevated upward in pride and defiance.  Never has that salute been used so completely, when it was at the 1968 Olympics while John Carlos alonwith  Tommy Smith raised the black strength fist complete with black glove as they obtained their medals for performances at these Olympic Games.

The phrase “black power” had not been coined in a march or riot as may be implied.  It had been actually developed by Robert Williams, the head in the NAACP from the early 60s.  However it started out being a “street term” to be able to adopted by Stokely Carmichael and Makasa Dada, founding fathers of The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee that was the iniciador to the popular Black Panther Party.

Unfortunately the black power movements started to be characterized by revolutionary elements which went much beyond seeking the objectives of Martin Luther King as well as the rest of the civil legal rights movement’s leadership.  These radical factors sought black splitting up and social change through violent means.  And thus in a time when there was clearly incredible turmoil in the united states due to the violence in Vietnam and on the roads of America because of that social turmoil, The Black Panthers as well as other fringe groups sewed panic and hate according to racism that at times caused it to be more hard to attain long-lasting change.

But there is certainly good to be seen even in a number of the darker aspects of black history and the command who looked to get the best way ahead for African Americans.  It is sometimes necessary for the radical factors to make them selves known so sensible members of the community can know the external limits in order to find compromise.  It was a value to the black power movement since it charged the discussion, although with violence and made the value of reasonable Americans in the future to seek peaceful change all the more essential.

But there exists another good that came in the black power movement.  All those images of the raised fist were images of a determination to stand for the legal rights of black Americans and a pride.  They influenced a generation of the younger generation to become more active politically, to stand up in their own world and made that statement made popular by James Brown “Say it Loud.  I am Black and I am Proud.”  That pride is a crucial thing and for teenagers to find.  They need to find it in their communities and their heroes.  So if black youngsters took pride and bravery to face their unique circumstances from the bold posture of leaders who, albeit significantly, said loud that black America was now getting to be a force to become reckoned with, the resulting call to action to the black community developed many more positive outcomes than negative.

The fringe voice really does speak what exactly is in people’s minds and by having that frustration and anger out, it became portion of the movement.  That power could be captured and utilized for good rather than evil.  And the final result was a movement which was energized for change and to help make life much better for all of black America. Which was the desire of everybody.