Black Power Chapter 25 Section 3

Watts Riot

What is Black Power? Had many meanings to it Physical self-defense and even violence were accepted Many believed that African Americans should control the social, political, and economic direction and struggle Stressed pride in the African American cultural group Emphasized racial individuality rather than integration

Ideas behind Black Power After the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965, many African Americans, especially the younger generation, began to turn away from the ideas that MLK had been working toward More aggressive protest Armed self-defense Gov. should set aside a number of states so African Americans can live separate from white CORE and SNCC voted to expel all whites from leadership positions within the organizations African Americans should lead their own struggle

Stokely Carmichael, leader of SNCC in 1966, uttered the simple statement: "What we need is black power.“ This was during a march for James Meredith who had been shot in an ambush Carmichael felt that blacks needed to feel a sense of racial pride and self- respect before any meaningful gains could be achieved. He encouraged the strengthening of African American communities without the help of whites.

Adapting to a New Look and Ideas Adopted the new Afro hairstyles and African- style clothing Many took African names Students demanded that African and African American studies be added to university curriculum Was popular in poor neighborhoods

The start of the Black Panthers Known as Black Panther Party for Self-Defense Huey Newtown and Bobby Seale took Carmichaels ideas farther and created the group in Oakland, California. The Panthers decided to take control of their own neighborhoods to aid their communities and to resist police brutality Malcolm X’s ideas were a large influence on the creation of this party

Black Panthers This group practiced militant self-defense of minority communities against the U.S. government One of the first organizations in U.S. history to violently struggle for ethnic minority and working class liberation Members believed that a revolution was necessary They urged African Americans to arm themselves Also to prepare to force whites to grant them equal rights

Black Panther Look Developed a uniform for members to adorn: a powder blue shirt, black leather jacket, black plants, black shoes, black beret, and optional black gloves. The black beret was inspiration for Newton and Seale after watching a movie about the French resistance to Nazis in WWII. The uniform allowed the Black Panthers to stand out wherever they went and physically showed the seriousness of their radical ideas.