Black Arts Movement PRESENTED AND CREATED BY: JEREMY ASCHMAN

When Was It?  Period of time with no definitive start or finish  Accredited as a 60’s movement  Symbolic start when LeRoi Jones moved from Lower East Side Manhattan to uptown Harlem  Unofficially ended in 1974 when there was external opposition as well as internal dividing

Who was it?  LeRoi Jones was the original figure of the movement  Shortly thereafter, many other black artists joined: Gwendolyn Brooks, Ed Bullins, Eldridge Ceaver, Jayne Cortez, Harold Cruse, Mari Evans, Hoyt Fuller, Nikki Giovanni, Lorraine Hansberry, Gil-Scott Heron, Maulana Ron Karenga, Etheridge Knight, Adrienne Kennedy, Haki R. Madhubuti, Larry Neal, Ishmael Reed, Sonia Sanchez, Ntozake Shange, Quincy Troupe, and John Alfred Williams are some big names.

Why did it Happen?  On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated  Inspirer of the movement, LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka) moved to uptown Harlem.  Jones seeked reform in many aspects of the country, including, but not limited to politically and socially.  The artists were out to change the self-perception that blacks had.  Believed that their competence in the arts would change how White America viewed blacks.

What was it?  Cooperation of black artists who wanted to see things change in the United States, as well as internationally.  A new approach to Civil Rights which veered away from the protest and petition approach which had been being used  Members believed in integration through realization.

How was it Different?  Different from Civil Rights Movement in that:  Civil Rights movement used a protest and petition method; Black Arts movement used a militant approach  Civil Rights movement was primarily political; Black Arts movement was primarily social  Civil Rights movement conformed to white literature; Black Arts movement made evident they were proud to be black.

Original Public Reaction  Originally, this movement did not seem to threaten white society  After many publications of poetry and other black arts, the movement was criticized as Anti-Semitic and homophobic  However, lesser racists and minorities viewed the militant movement as not only just, but a necessity.  Blacks generally supported it; however some did not due to its bad publicity

The History  After Jones’ (Baraka’s) poem “Black Art,” many joined him in the fight against racial oppression.  Harlem Writers’ Guild  Umbra in Chicago  Larry Neal- “The Black Arts Movement” contributed to Malcolm X  Ron Karenga- Black Art must be “functional, collective, and committed.” – Black Cultural Nationalism  Baraka makes it public that the movement must be militaristic as well as artistic.

History Cont.  Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM) in NYC  US in LA  Nation of Islam in Chicago  Provided direction for upcoming black artists  Magazines: Black Scholar (NYC), Negro Digest (Chicago)  These two magazines as well as Umbra provide exposure

Key Novels in The Movement  Black Fire (1968)  For Malcolm X, Poems on the Life and the Death of Malcolm X (1969)  The Black Woman (1970),  The Black Aesthetic (1971  Understanding the New Black Poetry (1972)  New Black Voices (1972)  And Many more ( )

Why did it end?  In 1974, under president Richard Nixon, the movement was combatted by government committees (IRS probes, Cointelpro)  Internal disputes and changes…  African American Liberation Committee  Congress of Afrikan People

Legacy  Thanks to the movement, many more black artists came to be.  Currently, we see many minority artists contribute their inspiration to the Black Arts Movement  First widespread disbelief in racism  Although not fully, the distribution of social amenities (wealth, power, RESPECT) more balanced.  Awareness and publications of the socially unjust practices that occurred prior to the movement.  Made its mark on literature for eternity: Language, style, music etc.

Legacy Cont.  1995, Robert Chrisman- “If we had not had a Black Arts movement in the sixties we certainly wouldn't have had national Black literary figures like Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alice Walker, or Toni Morrison because much more so than the Harlem Renaissance, in which Black artists were always on the leash of white patrons and publishing houses, the Black Arts movement did it for itself. What you had was Black people going out nationally, in mass, saving that we are an independent Black people and this is what we produce.”

Sources  URLs:  Citations: The Oxford Companion to Women’s Writing in the United States. New York: Oxford UP, Copyright © 1995 by Oxford UP "A Brief Guide to the Black Arts Movement." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, Web. 28 Apr "Black Arts Movement." List of Books and Articles about. Questia, Web. 28 Apr arts-movementhttp:// arts-movement