Militant African-American Civil Rights Activism

Watts Riots - August 1965 Reaction to on-going “de facto” segregation – End of “de jure” segregation did not change the day to day life of most urban blacks causing growing frustration

Malcolm X emerges Tough childhood— Murder of family members Teacher comment— Being a lawyer is “no realistic goal for a n______” Life of Crime Went to prison

Introduced to Nation of Islam (Black Muslims) in prison --Elijah Muhammad --Philosophy of self respect, clean living --Pride in identity and culture --X Began to speak far and wide Whites to blame for social problems —all whites are devils Blacks should separate from white society, stop trying to be like whites Argued for armed self defense Louis Farrakhan, current leader

“It is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks… The time has come for the American Negro to fight back in self-defense whenever he is being unjustly and unlawfully attacked.” Malcolm X

1964 split with Elijah Muhammad Trip to Mecca changes him Murdered by Nation of Islam 5:00-20:00; [20-25—split with Nation of Islam] 25:00-30:00 (death)

Black Power Tommie Smith & John Carlos 1968 Olympics Black Power salute. As they turned to face their flags & hear the national anthem, they each raised a black-gloved fist and kept them raised until the anthem had finished. Smith, Carlos and Australian silver medalist Peter Norman wore human rights badges on their jackets. In Silent Gesture, Tommie Smith stated that the gesture was not a "Black Power" salute, but a "human rights salute". On 16 October 1968,U.S.A. athlete Tommie Smith won the 200 metre race with a world-record time of 19.83 seconds. Australia's Peter Norman finished 2nd with a time of 20.06 seconds & John Carlos won 3rd place with a time of 20.10  seconds. After the race, they went to the podium for their medals to be presented. The two U.S. athletes received their medals shoeless, but wearing black socks, to represent black poverty. Smith wore a black scarf around his neck to represent black pride, Carlos had his tracksuit top unzipped to show solidarity with all blue collar workers in the U.S. and wore a necklace of beads which he described "were for those individuals that were lynched, or killed and that no-one said a prayer for, that were hung and tarred. It was for those thrown off the side of the boats in the middle passage. All three athletes wore Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) badges after Norman, a critic of Australia's White Australia Policy, expressed empathy with their ideals. Both U.S. athletes intended on bringing black gloves to the event, but Carlos forgot his, leaving them in the Olympic Village. It was the Australian, Peter Norman, who suggested Carlos wear Smith's left-handed glove. For this reason, Carlos raised his left hand as opposed to his right, differing from the traditional Black Power salute. When "The Star-Spangled Banner played, Smith and Carlos delivered the salute with heads bowed, a gesture which became front page news around the world. As they left the podium they were booed by the crowd.[8] Smith later said, "If I win, I am American, not a black American. But if I did something bad, then they would say I am a Negro. We are black and we are proud of being black. Black America will understand what we did tonight."[3] Tommie Smith & John Carlos

Stokely Carmichael Elected to replace John Lewis as leader of SNCC Symbolized the change of some in the CRM away from Dr. King’s philosophy

The term “Black Power” “This is the 27th time I have been arrested-and I ain’t going to jail no more!…We been saying freedom for 6 years-and we ain’t got nothin’. What we’re gonna start saying now is BLACK POWER.” --Stokely Carmichael, 1966 His meaning: black people should begin to define their own goals and lead their own organizations. He didn’t want any more help from white people in achieving equality. Perceived message: Many people, especially whites, thought he was encouraging an armed and violent revolution.

Black Panthers (1966-82) Founded in Oakland - 1966 Huey Newton Bobby Seale

Black Panthers Members of the Black Panthers wore black berets, sunglasses, black leather jackets, black trousers, black shirts, and shiny black shoes.

The Panthers drew much support from African-Americans and recruited many members from other non-violent movements. The police and FBI had many shoot outs with the Panthers throughout the years.

Armed Protest in Sacramento 1967

Black Panther Philosophy Community Support --established day care centers, free breakfast programs and other services in the ghettos. Ten-Point Program: The organization's official newspaper, The Black Panther, was first circulated in 1967. Also that year, the Black Panther Party marched on the California State Capitol in Sacramento in protest of a selective ban on weapons. By 1968, the party had expanded into many cities throughout the United States, among them, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Newark, New Orleans, New York City, Omaha, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.. Peak membership was near 10,000 by 1969, and their newspaper, under the editorial leadership of Eldridge Cleaver, had a circulation of 250,000.[4] Gaining national prominence, the Black Panther Party became an icon of the counterculture of the 1960s.[7] Ultimately, the Panthers condemned black nationalism as "black racism" and became more focused on socialism without racial exclusivity.[8] They instituted a variety of community social programs designed to alleviate poverty, improve health among inner city black communities, and soften the Party's public image.[9] The Black Panther Party's most widely known programs were its armed citizens' patrols to evaluate behavior of police officers and its Free Breakfast for Children program. However, the group's political goals were often overshadowed by their confrontational, militant, and violent tactics against police.[10] 19:00 – 33:00

Writing Assignment Explain the appeal of militant groups like the Black Panthers to some African Americans. Describe some of the attitudes & actions of the militants. Use details from the Power Point & video

Affirmative Action ex: Bakke v. UC causes tension Forced Bussing In Northern cities Leads to Riots By Middle Class Whites Ex: Boston Affirmative Action ex: Bakke v. UC causes tension