MOVEMENT TAKES A NEW TURN

Introduction Despite the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 many African Americans faced economic and social discrimination Began to lose patience with the slow change Created a divide in the Civil Rights Movement – Nonviolent protest – Militant protest

Malcolm X Malcolm Little son of a Baptist preacher in Nebraska His father was follower of Marcus Garvey After father’s death he turned to crime in face of moving around At the age of 20 he spent seven years in jail for burglary and while there joined the Nation of Islam

Nation of Islam Group of African American Muslims – Also called Black Muslims Views of the organization – White society was oppressive – Black separation – Self-help

Black Nationalism Belief in separate identity and racial unity of African Americans Malcolm changed his last name to X and became a minister for the Nation of Islam

Opposition to Integration Malcolm X rejected the Civil Rights Movement – Begging of the white man – Why want to join white society?

Change of Heart 1964 Malcolm X took a pilgrimage to Mecca He was deeply affected by joint worshiping of various races – Changed his views on separatism When he returned to the U.S. he began to work with whites and civil rights leaders – This created many enemies for him February of 1965 he was shot at a rally by a member of the Nation of Islam

Black Power Movement Stokely Carmichael rose to power in the SNCC Frustrated w/ nonviolence movement after being repeatedly beaten during protests Encouraged SNCC members to carry guns for self-defense Worked toward making the membership of the group entirely black Coined the phrase “black power”

Black Panthers Founded in 1966 by Bobby Steale and Huey Newton Wanted: – US government to clean up ghettos – African Americans to create separate communities Often engaged in direct confrontation with authorities Followed the saying: “power flows from the barrel of a gun”

“Black is Beautiful” – Phrase generated by the Black Panthers to create racial pride

Rioting De jure segregation – Segregation by law De facto segregation – Segregation by social conditions (i.e. poverty) Frustration over continued segregation despite new laws led to a series of riots – Greatest violence in Watts, California

Watts Riots August 11, 1965 – Police pulled over an African American for drunk driving – The man began to resist arrest – Officers began swinging batons – A gathering crowd reacted and six days of rioting followed Burning cars and stores Looting stores 34 people died – Set off a series of riots over the next two years with the slogan “burn, baby burn”

Assassination of MLK April of 1968 – Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee Subsequent riots resulted in the death of 50 people across the nation – Initially James Earl Ray is convicted of killing MLK He confessed and then recanted three days later

Other theories – Late 1990s investigations looked at whether the US government was involved in MLK’s assassination On grounds that he was communist – It was found that the FBI had been wiretapping King – All FBI surveillance of King has been ordered sealed in the National Archives until 2027

Assassination of Robert Kenney After JFK’s murder Robert took up his brother’s causes – Spoke out against the Vietnam War – Reached out to minorities Announced plans to run for president in 1968 Democratic fundraising dinner at hotel in LA killed by anti-Zionist Sirhan Sirhan – Angry at Robert’s support of Israel – He is currently serving a life sentence in a CA prison