Notes on SNCC, Black Power, and Anthems in the Civil Rights Era

James Meredith’s March, the Shooting, and the Rise of Black Power

• The march began with civil rights leadership and student organizers; on the second day of the march, a sniper shot James Meredith from the bushes, injuring him and preventing him from finishing the walk. The shooter’s act was described in the transcript as cowardly and aimed at stopping the effort.
• After Meredith was shot, civil rights leaders from across the country came to Nashville to say they would finish the march for him.
• Among the leaders present was the student-led organization SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee). The president of SNCC in 1966 was Stokely Carmichael, who later changed his name to Kwame Ture.
• The march started with leadership from five or six organizations but grew in size as more people joined the effort.
• Ten days after the start, the march reached Greenwood, Mississippi. It was at this point that a pivotal moment occurred.
• On 06/16/1966 (the night of a rally in Greenwood, Mississippi), SNCC, led by Stokely Carmichael, issued a call for black power. This call marked a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement, signaling a shift from the earlier emphasis on nonviolent integration to a proactive assertion of Black power and self-determination.
• The call for Black Power is described as a defining moment; it separated what happened before from what happened afterward. It was a fearless act in a context where Black people could be lynched for simply making eye contact or speaking up. The message was: if Black people don’t have power, they don’t have a voice at the table of change.
• The call reverberated through later events and organizing—described as having many post-1966 effects attributable to that single act of defiance.
• By 1968, the SNCC, seeking cultural reinforcement for empowerment, approached James Brown for an anthem to bolster Black pride and power. James Brown agreed and produced a song that became an iconic rallying cry.
• The discussion also included an exercise to explore what an anthem is, prompting students to read the lyrics of the song and reflect on their interpretations.

What is an Anthem? Concept and Class Exercise

• The instructor posed the question: What is an anthem?
• Students were asked to read the lyrics of the James Brown song (Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud) and to jot down the ideas and associations that come to mind as they read. This was framed as a process of interpretation and personal meaning-making.
• The act of reading and interpreting the lyrics is framed as analyzing the message for oneself, not just reciting lines.

James Brown’s Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud (1968)

• James Brown became an international phenomenon; his music and stage presence influenced Black empowerment narratives worldwide.
• The song Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud served as an anthem for Black power and collective self-respect, and it was a direct cultural companion to the 1966 call for Black Power.
• The lyrics (hook) are central to its impact: “Say it loud, I’m black and I’m proud.”
• Student interpretations of the lyrics (as read aloud and discussed in class) included ideas such as:
  • Deserve
  • Confidence and being unashamed
  • A sense of resilience
  • Unapologetically Black
  • Standing up
  • The imagery of strength and self-assertion (e.g., “standing up”; references to energy and force in performance)
• The discussion noted that James Brown’s performance persona (the “James Brown move”) and the song’s call to pride contributed to its status as a cultural anthem.
• The global influence of James Brown was highlighted, including comparisons to African artists who emulated his style, such as Fela Kuti, who studied Brown in the U.S. and became a major African figure analogous to Brown.
• The song’s immediacy, memorability, and simple, memorable hook helped its adoption as an anthem and its role in shaping the cultural imagination around Black pride.

The Cultural and Historical Context of Black Identity (Pre- vs Post-1966)

• Before 1966, Black people in the U.S. were commonly described with labels such as Negroes, Jigaboo, Monkey, Nigger, Colored, and other pejoratives—terms that reflected eras of tokenizing and dehumanization.
• The 06/16/1966 call for Black Power contributed to a redefinition of self-identity and public presentation, including a visible Afro aesthetic and a renaissance of Black pride and cultural symbols.
• The hairstyle (Afro) and other expressions of Black identity became more prominent post-1966 as part of a broader renaissance in Black self-definition and cultural assertion.
• The anthem Say It Loud contributed to crystallizing this new sense of identity and pride, providing a hook for the movement’s ideological shift toward power and self-determination.

From James Brown to Fela Kuti: Global Reach of Black Power Music

• James Brown’s enduring influence extended beyond the United States, reaching audiences worldwide and informing Black empowerment movements in other countries.
• Fela Kuti, a Nigerian musician, studied James Brown, traveled to the U.S., and became known as the “James Brown of Africa,” illustrating how Afrobeat drew from Brown’s style and rhetoric to energize political and social movements in Africa.
• The discussion emphasizes the transnational flow of Black power aesthetics and the way music served as a vehicle for political expression across continents.

Nina Simone’s “To Be Young, Gifted and Black” (1969) as an Anthem for Black Intellectuals

• In $1969$, SNCC asked for an anthem that would empower Black people in a specific way: as Black intellectuals facing systemic barriers in higher education.
• Nina Simone wrote and performed “To Be Young, Gifted and Black” as a direct correlate to the Black Power call, with a focus on Black intellectual achievement and resilience.
• The lyrics and the song’s message were connected to Lorraine Hansberry, an important Black intellectual and artist (Hansberry is the author of A Raisin in the Sun).
• Lorraine Hansberry’s legacy and the naming of Lorraine Hansberry Hall (the residence hall referenced in class) underscore the link between Black intellectual achievement, representation, and space in higher education.
• The song served as inspiration for Black students at increasingly diverse institutions, including historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and predominantly White institutions (PWIs), who faced ostracism or isolation in environments with very few Black students.
• The instructor framed “To Be Young, Gifted and Black” as an ode to Black intellectuals and a reminder that Black students deserve to be in spaces where they pursue education and excellence on equal footing with others.
• The audience reaction to the performance was powerful: at Warhouse College, five minutes of applause reflected the impact and emotional resonance of the song’s message.

Lorraine Hansberry, Lorraine Hansberry Hall, and Black Intellectualism

• The connection between Nina Simone’s song and Lorraine Hansberry’s legacy highlights the role of Black women writers and intellectuals in shaping cultural and political discourse.
• The discussion reinforces the idea that Black intellectuals’ presence in academic spaces matters for inclusion, representation, and empowerment.

Education, Access, and Integration: HBCUs and PWIs

• The late 1960s saw Black students increasingly attending PWIs in addition to HBCUs. This shift brought new challenges, including ostracism and isolation for Black students who were navigating predominantly white institutions.
• Simone’s song and the Hansberry reference serve as a support framework for Black students confronting these challenges, emphasizing that they deserve access to education and space in all institutions.

Takeaways, Reflections, and Weekend Assignment

• The events from $06/16/1966$ onward show how a single act of defiance can redefine a social movement, influence cultural expression, and shape future activism.
• The arts (James Brown, Nina Simone, Fela Kuti, Lorraine Hansberry) function as powerful conduits for political messaging, morale-building, and international solidarity.
• The class assignments encourage students to discuss the implications of Black Power, anthem-making, and representation with family and peers, reinforcing that studying history is an active, dialogic process.
• Students are reminded to prepare for Monday by reflecting on the weekend’s topics and completing the related assignments.