Black Power Movement (Nationalism) - Research Paper Example

?Running head: BLACK POWER MOVEMENT -NATIONALISM Black Power Movement -Nationalism Insert Insert Insert 29 October 2011 Black Power Movement -Nationalism Introduction Many authors in diverse fields have for a long time captured the history of African Americans. In analyzing the various accounts, one discovers that the history of African-Americans has not been that bright. Since the eras of slavery up to the days of civil rights movements, African Americans had been confined into the ‘prisons’ of political, social, economic, and cultural discrimination and inequality, hence there was little to celebrate about. The society appeared less concerned about these issues and it dawned on majority of African Americans that nothing would come on silver plate. There was need for persistence in form of struggle, which saw some advocate for non-violent means while radical African Americans advocated for ‘all’ possible means, whichever form to reclaim African identity1. Black power movement (BPM) therefore became one of the avenues African Americans pursued their economic, political, social, and cultural recognition2. Largely based on its principles, The Black Power Movement agitated for racial pride, self-determination, economic independence, and social equality, and this was to be through creation of black political and cultural institutions. The Black Power Movement, especially the Black Nationalism is of interest to this study, and effort will be made in studying its origin, development, activities, pioneers, and also its success and failures. African American as victims of oppression African Americans’ history in USA has for a long time been bracketed with aspects of oppression, discrimination, and prejudice. African Americans, for a long time since the days of slavery, Civil War, to Civil Rights Movements, have been isolated and sidelined from the main sources of economy, political, social, and cultural aspects and as a result, African Americans identity in major American social institutions has been portrayed as of ‘strangers’. Andrew P. Smallwood observes that African American history has for a long time reflected struggle of minority people in an oppressive society struggling to win over negative social forces, which unfortunately have remained alive since the pre-slavery period all the way to post-slavery world3. According to the scholar, for a long time, African Americans have been victims of negative and prejudicial laws and social values and beliefs and as a result, African Americans’ struggle has adopted numerous alternatives of fighting these vices. In the same perspectives, Jeffrey G. Ogbar observes that for a long time, and as early as when African Americans arrived in USA, America appeared to be a country with huge cultural investment in attempts to construct and establish white supremacy. Moreover, the aim for such construction for ages has remained giving whites’ exclusive access to wide range of social, political, and economic opportunities in order to affirm Black inferiority4. It is sad to note that African Americans, in all aspects and angles of life, remained victims of incessant attacks against their humanity, which was reflected at federal, state, and local levels, and laws and customs were created and enacted, tending to push African Americans into the social doldrums of American citizenship. In an ironic gesture, Africans Americans for a long time resided in a country that prided itself and celebrated freedom, democracy, and equality, but for African Americans, life remained frustrating and hopeless, as majority of them were excluded from major social institutions and processes. Everywhere one could move, African Americans identity had become an alien that everybody ascribed to the white supremacy was supposed to trample upon. In the media, legal, education, government, and so on, African Americans had a ‘sealed’ case-of exclusion, isolation, prejudice, mockery, and total discrimination and nothing could change this. The situation became unbearable and African Americans could no longer remain patient and silent. As a result, many African Americans organized and decided upon themselves to resist all forms of legal trappings and promotion of white supremacy, and they did this by making various demands for the end of segregation and transformation of American society into an equal society with regard to equal access to schools, housing, health, jobs, and so on5. In order to have these demands known across America, Africans Americans opted to use different means of struggle to ensure that like others, they were able to obtain opportunities for intellectual, economic, political self-determination, and independence. In analyzing African American struggle for justice and recognition in the wider American society, majority of historians express that the struggle saw emergence of two lines of African American believers. There were those who vehemently advocated for integration of African American into the mainstream American society; and those who opposed this, and instead called for Nationalism where African Americans should have their own independence from the American society6. According to Nationalism crusaders, African Americans would possess greater chance of advancement if they became physically, culturally, and psychologically independent. Furthermore, African Americans would have opportunity to promote their collective action based on shared heritage and common concerns, and these aspects would greatly propel the African American agenda7. There was dissimilarity in perception and orientation on how African American problems should be handled and solved, but on a lighter note, there were two centers both groups met in terms of agreement. African Americans had the right to determine their own destiny; and African Americans possessed a cultural tradition that was worthy of respect in its own right8. Origin of Black Power Movement Revisiting African Americans history and analyzing the rise of quest for independence, one gets convinced that the struggle commenced in the 18th century and this can be associated with the formation of African Methodist Episcopal Church by Richard Allen9. Towards the 19th century, African Americans became more preoccupied with the issue of slavery, oppression, and prejudice in the larger American society despite the constitution professing that all Americans and people are equal. As a result, dissenting forces developed among African Americans who expressed their anger to the way the society was treating and padlocking them in the chains of isolation and discrimination. Even with the effects of Civil War, America could not heed to the needs and desires of African Americans and as the 20th century approached, there was wide disillusionment among African Americans concerning their plight with regard to social, economic, and political oppression that had become rampant in the society. This was the point when the issue of Black Nationalism emerges and gains momentum among African Americans consciousness10. According to Wilson Moses, the basis upon which Black Nationalism emerged and developed during this period was largely ingrained in the consciousness African Americans had developed and nurtured over a long period of time concerning their isolation from political, social, and cultural aspects of the society and the desire to break away from this domination. At the same time, the author observes Black Nationalism emerged as the vehicle that aimed at uniting African Americans who for a long time had remained and acted as disunited people hence their grievances had been ignored given their disunity. In summary, the author asserts that with the coming of Black Nationalism, “all attempts were made to unify politically all of these peoples whether they are residents of African territories or descendants of those Africans who were disposed by the slave trade”11. Nationalists vs. Abolitionists Black Nationalism roots can be traced back to colonization movement of 17th century, which advocated and addressed the issue of repatriating African Americans to homelands that were outside United States and many believed the African Americans could be taken to Africa and Latin America12. Black emigration became the eventual calling phrase for the colonization movement, which had both white and African American supporters. For the African Americans who supported repatriation of African Americans back to Africa and Latin America, their argument rested on the assumption that this would provide great chance for African Americans to build their own state and establish their own unique identity unlike the one they were experiencing in USA. The conviction among majority of these African Americans supporting colonization movement was that the whites dominated USA, and given that African Americans were minority, their dream could not be achieved in this country but somewhere else where they could confidently build their own identity and establish their own destiny. Some of the notable African Americans in this group included people like: Paul, Cuffee, Bishop James T. Holly, Martin Delany, Daniel Coker, John Russwurm, Edward Blyden, Alexander Crummell, and Bishop Henry M. Turner13. This group of African Americans became the Pan-Negro Nationalist, and according to Delany, the need for repatriation was appropriate14. Among the whites, their support for colonization movement was ingrained in the idea and belief that African-Americans constituted an inferior race and their presence in America was suffocating development and progress of white American institutions of culture. On the other hand, other groups that supported the colonization movement such as the church (Quakers) postulated that African Americans had the right to have and be part of their homeland and such repatriation would give them more freedom and space to progress in free environment. As the Black Nationalism gained momentum, another group of African Americans emerged who became totally opposed to ideals and principles of Black repatriation, and instead advocated and called for integration and assimilation of Africans into the mainstream American society15. This group became to be known as the Abolitionist Movement and had leaders like Fredrick Douglass. This led to emergence of disagreements between these two groups in their perception and conceptualization of African American plight in America. According to Douglass, African Americans were part and parcel of American society and therefore in no way could they be subtracted and divorced from this society. What the leader believed in was that, African Americans were to rise up and secure their freedom in the larger American society without necessarily moving away. Progress of Black Power Nationalism In his book titled ‘Black Camelot’, William L. Van describes and regards the Black Power Movement as “a metaphorical device meant to symbolize and illuminate the new world order sought by African-Americans”16. The basis of Black Power Movement was founded on the individual, group, and the community empowerment of African Americans and as a result, it is the African American experience of everyday life in the American society that gave rise to the Black Power struggle. As a result, the author sees the emergence of BPM as the avenue African Americans were able to fight and demand for socio-cultural equality in a society that was largely unwilling. Accordingly, BPM portrayed itself unique where it was associated with aspects of self-directed, radicalism, and quest for power, a situation that led to Black Power17. In pursuing this quest for Black Power, the author observes that, there existed different ways of perception, which African Americans held with regard to obtaining power. The first way of having Black Power was through ‘assimilation’ in which case, the proponents advocated for integration of African Americans into the mainstream society of Americans18. On the other hand, there was also the pluralist perspective, which expressed that American society was not uniform, but a mixture of different ethnics. As a result, African Americans were to come up and out strongly in fighting with other ethnic groups for economic, social, political, and cultural recognition and opportunities. In addition, there was the third perspective (Nationalists) who zealously advocated for establishment of independent African American community separated from other ethnic groups in terms of social, physical, political, and economic19. Within the Black Power Nationalism, there also existed three distinct categories, which again had relatively different view of how African American Power of Nationalism could be achieved. The first category constituted territorial Nationalists, who advocated for creation of a separate, independent African American state within America, or be allowed to go back to Africa where they will be able to establish their identity. One face of this territorial Nationalist was the Nation of Islam group, which became popular among African Americans, especially due to its hardened radical position at attacking white supremacy in America. Second category of Nationalists constituted the revolutionary Nationalists, who on wide scale advocated and defended the need to gain Black Power through destruction of white supremacy systems that had been established in American society, which in turn had become means of African Americans’ suffering20. According to this group of Nationalists, African Americans were part of the American society and therefore, there was nowhere they could go but just stay, identify the social structures impeding their social development, and subsequently embark on destroying them. The most notable face of this group was the Black Panthers. The third category of Nationalists was that of cultural Nationalists, who had strong belief that African American Power and Nationalism could only emerge from creation and promotion of a unique and distinctive African-American culture. This culture was to be established through art, music, literature, and so on, which in turn would be the perfect means of gaining power for African Americans21. One notable group that represents this third category is the Organization US group. Pioneers of Black Nationalism in the 20th century Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X are two key figures that progressed with the idea of Black Nationalism that in turn had profound political, economic, and social changes in the modern American society. It can be described that theirs constitutes Black Nationalism revolution, which swept across the American land in a unique whirlwind that today remains evident in major social, economic and political developments that have taken place. 1) Marcus Garvey Marcus was born in 1887 and named Marcus Mosiah Garvey, having much of childhood experience in African American society22. Unlike many of his childhood age-mates in disadvantages neighborhoods, Marcus was lucky to have received education and profound learning experience utilizing the family library and the library of his Godfather whom he worked for as apprentice. In 1916, Marcus came back from studies and embarked on a strenuous work of creating and providing program that could uplift majority of African Americans in terms of social, economic, political and education, where majority were poor. Marcus believed that by creating such program, majority of African Americans would be able to acquire economic independence through self-help and community action23. In 1918, Marcus made another bold move and found the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), which became the best alternative and avenue for African American progress and empowerment. Marcus frowned and passionately hated the mistreatment of African Americans by whites and as a result, Marcus became a pro-advocate for African American separation, since this was the only way and perfect avenue African Americans could realize their full potential as humans in terms of cultural, social, political, and economical spheres. UNIA became the vehicle of promoting African America identity largely through education and awareness. Many African Americans learnt to believe in themselves, in their race, and became economically empowered and liberated. Their social life was uplifted through collective actions and community empowerment. On overall, Marcus through UNIA emphasized African American cultural pride, social separation, political self-determination, and economic empowerment. 2) Malcolm X Malcolm X was another key figure of Black Nationalism in 20th century. Malcolm was born as Malcolm Little but later changed to X, as he associated ‘Little’ with ‘whiteness’. Malcolm regarded himself as admirer and disciple of Marcus Garvey stating that his ideological perspective had been implanted, nurtured, and reinforced by Garvey’s philosophies about Black Nationalism. He became an influential figure and ardent advocate of Black Nationalism through the Nation of Islam-NOI24. He became the member of this group in 1940s and became the most rhetoric figure of the group. Malcolm emphasized the need for African Americans to establish their own separate culture, social, economic, and political identity, and this was to be facilitated by all available means whether justified or not. Malcolm became to be identified with Black community, always giving in his time, energy, resources, and opportunities to empower, sensitize, educate, and inform. He used different platforms; pulpits, media, social gatherings, institutions and all available avenues he knew his message would reach the right people (African Americans). Successful Malcolm became a voice in the Civil Rights Movement where he continued with his advocacy for Black Nationalism philosophy, sometime denouncing non-violent means of agitation and suggesting adoption of more violent means for the African American message to be heard clearer. Towards 1960s, Malcolm started to hold different views with those of NOI leader Elijah Muhammad, starting to question the role and commitment of NOI to the empowerment of African Americans25. He was eventually assassinated but his influence revolutionalized African Americans identity through the NOI activities. Conclusion Black Power Movement in America can be viewed to have presented African Americans with an opportunity to redefine their identity and rise up against oppression and prejudice in American society. As a result, Black Nationalism is seen to have been the main avenue majority of African Americans crusaders and advocates adopted in championing for the course of African Americans. Black Nationalism was opposed to Abolitionist views and their take was that African American people could only rediscover themselves and create their long-term destiny through having separate culture, economy, political ideology, and social orientation. As a result, it can be concluded that success of this group can be linked to many political, social, economic, and cultural transformations majority of African Americans experienced, which indeed uplifted their social profile and position. Endnotes Read More