Chapter Overview

The black power movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s drew to a close the long "movement of movements" that had begun in the postwar years with labor activism and victories in the courtroom over Jim Crow segregation. By the mid-1960s, black power was fast overshadowing the earlier nonviolent movement whose boycotts and sit-ins had gained the world's attention through evolving media techniques. Initially and incorrectly described as a hate-filled extremist, Malcolm X rose in stature as his passionate advocacy of race pride and black self-determination convinced many Americans that black power might be the answer to America's ongoing racial dilemma. But black power was by no means a universal movement. Its clenched-fist symbol expressed a wide landscape of goals from racial pride to political self-representation to armed revolution.

Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter you should understand the following:

• The origins of the black power movement
• The impact of black power on an America that had grown accustomed to the nonviolent approach of Dr. King and other leaders
• The role of black power in attracting, and forming opinions in, the youth of this era
• The impact of African American art within the context of black power
• Black feminism and the key role of women in the movement
• The social and political realities of this era, such as ongoing race riots and dissenting splinter groups