In many ways, the Black Power movement represented an advancement and intensification of every aspect of the Black American freedom struggle. The non-violent philosophy of Martin Luther King Jr. and Civil Rights organizations like S.N.C.C. was challenged by Black Nationalist and leftist organizations like the Black Panthers and the Revolutionary Action Movement, who embraced violence as a means of self-defense and as a tool to be used against racist and unjust State ancillaries, like the police. At the same time, strong Black nationalist tendencies began to reemerge in the Black community. Naturally, this intensification extended to the realm of culture, with many Black Americans rejecting American and Eurocentric cultural mores in favor of the wholesale embrace of African culture. In the 60s and 70s, organizations like Maulana Karenga’s US and…
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The American Poetry Review (Digital) - 1 Issue, November/December 2021