African Americans and Malcom X and Black Power

Black Panthers

A revolutionary organization founded in 1966 aimed at combating racial oppression and promoting social justice for African Americans. They are known for their community programs and militant stance against police brutality

potential positives of Malcom X and the Black Power movement for Civil Rights

• NOI was a national organisation with wide support

• NOl made X give up his life od crime but also abstain from alcohol, tobacco and sexual immorality

• Traditional civil rights organisations did not seem to be addressing the problems of white supremacy

• Some people said the civil rights movement even perpetrated white supremacy

• King's appeal was much less in the North; here the movement gained strength

• X, unlike King ha lived in the north among working class black people and had assessed the attitude of northern whites towards black people - he believed they were no better than the south

• It encouraged consciousness of black identity

• It encouraged awareness of grievances

• It acted as a prod to the white establishment to make concessions that a more peaceful and less confrontational movement would not have done

• It was vital for energising African Americans

• X's skills in speaking and writing made him an attractive leader and helped the NOl to grow from around 400 | 1952 to 40,000 by 1960

• X broke with the NOl in 1964 and became less committed to violence and more to the force of purely spiritual values

• After his trip to Africa and the Middle East and completing hajj his views softened

• He had a huge influence on the emergence of the Black Power movement

• X had considerable influence in promoting a sense of pride and identity among African Americans that did not depend on integration or accepting white values

• X was proud to be black and critical of white society - he believed the NAACP and SCLC begged for favours.

• X was seen as a more realistic role model with his problem-filled background than the southern
  King from the 'black aristocracy'

• X saw black people as Africans but dismissed the impracticalities of back to Africa

• X emphasised focus on economic and social conditions in the cities (and believed King's approach would not solves these issues)

• After he left the NOl, X travelled widely in Africa an Asia where he broadened his horizons

• Expressed his ideas eloquently and with earthy language - his ideas therefore spread quickly among poor northern AAs who could relate to him more than King

• Newton and Seale extended previous ideas of armed black groups to form the Panthers in Oakland, California

• Their distinctive salute was made famous at the 1968 Olympic games

• Panthers put forward the idea that white values could be challenged - they demonstrated the limitations of the Civil Rights legislation in causing real change for AA's

• Panthers wanted an end to white capitalist control and police brutality in particular

• They developed the distinctive idea of armed patrols of black people in ghettos to keep an eye • on white police

• Firearm training as given
  They sought to 'neutralize the police force' who they saw as the worst perpetrator of crimes against black people

• Each Panther had to participate in outreach programs including providing free breakfast for school children, tutoring adults in English and maths and aiding the old and disabled

• Panthers were to talk with citizens about solutions to illiteracy, unemployment, homelessness and fear

• They sought to instil courage in people and motivate them to seek equality

• Black Power certainly influenced Dr King who became increasingly concerned with emphasising black pride

• He also stressed the importance of tackling social and economic questions - black power had helped to force these up the agenda

• It gave the black community a greater sense of pride and confidence - music, theatre, fashion, food all flourished in the 1970s

• It inspired other minority groups to follow the black example

• Many saw the ambiguity of the Black Power movement as its greatest strength, as each individual could interpret it as they wished

• Carmichael wrote in 1976 'Black Power: The Politics' of Liberation in America' attacking integration as a middle-class obsession

• Maulana Karenga and the poet LeRoi Jones focused on cultural nationalism

• Blacks stressed their Africa roots, sporting Afro hair, wearing dashikis

• By the late 1960s black radicalism had replaced the non-violent movement

potential negatives of Malcom X and the Black Power movement for Civil Rights

• FBI infiltrated the Panthers
  A small movement of less than 5000

• In 1967 27 Panthers were shot by the police and 750 were arrested

• Black Power did not achieve the support that Dr
  King had

• Some say the radicals decreased the ability of AA's to affect the course of US politics, promising more but delivering less

• NOI was a small and radical group - it believed all peopled had originally be coloured black until an evil scientist, Jacoub had inbred pale faces to create an inferior race

• X preached violent revolution, urging AA's not to reject any means for change

• X rejected non-violence

• X did not achieve the sorts of success that King could claim

• X came to national prominence when he and the NOl were the subject of a TV show called The Hate that Hate Produced'

• X called the March on Washington the 'farce on Washington'

• After Kennedy's death he described it as 'the chickens coming home to roost' which appalled and astonished many Americans

• Elijah Mohammed restricted King from speaking in direct political terms which meant he lacked a proper platform to campaign

• Elijah Mohammed was found to not have practice what he preached - he had mistresses

• X believed that white people were inherently racist and would never be able to apply their
  American democratic values to AA's

• X rejected non-violence and believed only in the right to self defence

• X had no interesting in sitting down to a meal or coffee with white people "Who wants to sit on the next toilet seta to a white'?

• Instead of King's ream he saw only an American 'nightmare'

• FBI kept a surveillance on him from 1960 onwards

• He cared little about white opinion of him and even brushed aside any attempts at praise from liberal white

• He had less popular support that Garvey at his height and perhaps a less coherent strategy

• 1972 Black Power convention excluded white supporters

• They saw a conflict between a white state and a separate black culture

• The Panthers did not attract the same support as, for example, Garvey

• Its goals were too widespread to be easily realised

• SNCC under the leadership of Carmichael dropped the word 'non-violent' from its name

• Carmichael - 'We're going to tear this country up'

• Black Power as a concept was vague and ambiguous

• Riots - August 1965 was the first of three 'Long hot summers' - rioters saw X as a more realistic role model. It showed the rejection of nonviolence

• In 1987 Huey Newton was Shot, Bobby Seale was imprisoned - although the movement did not pose quite the same threat after this

• In 1969 27 Panthers were killed in shot-outs with police

• Media coverage of shoot-outs, murders and court trials involving the panthers

• Informers completed the downfall of the group and the new leader Eldrige Cleaver emigrated in

• 1979 - the group disbanded in 1982

• By accepting Black Power King's policy of maintaining the moral high ground was undemand and much ground was lost in terms of white sympathy (but many had no desire for this support)

• Despite attempts by Carmichael, it was never entirely clear exactly what Black Power's political aims were - did they want a separate state? Return to Africa? Revolution? Potentially led to confusion

• Many saw the movement as more slogan than concept

• Radicalised Atlanta Staff within SNCC in 1966 wanted to end white presence in the group - white participation was ended

• In August 1965, 95% of CORE money came from sympathetic whites therefore growth black nationalism within the group was a disaster for them financially

• By 1968 and Kings death the non-violent movement had ceased to be an effective force

Malcom X

A prominent African American leader in the civil rights movement, known for his advocacy for black empowerment and his willingness to use violence for self-defense. After breaking from the Nation of Islam, he embraced more universal human rights concepts before his assassination in 1965.

Nation of Islam

A religious and political organization founded in the United States, advocating for the upliftment of African Americans and promoting Islamic teachings, particularly under the leadership of Elijah Muhammad. It played a significant role in Malcolm X's transformation and activism.