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Black Power Movement

Definition

The Black Power Movement was a social movement in the 1960s and 1970s that emphasized racial pride, economic empowerment, and the creation of political and cultural institutions for African American people in the United States.

Analogy

Think of it like a group project where one member feels their ideas are constantly overlooked. Eventually, they decide to start their own project where their voice can be heard clearly. This is what happened with the Black Power Movement; it was about creating spaces where black voices could lead and shape their own future.

Related terms

Civil Rights Movement: A struggle by African Americans in the mid-1950s to late 1960s to achieve civil rights equal to those of whites, including equal opportunity in employment, housing, and education, as well as the right to vote.

Malcolm X: An African-American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a popular figure during the civil rights movement. He is best known for his controversial advocacy for black rights and his indictment of white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans.

Pan-Africanism: A worldwide intellectual movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all indigenous and diaspora ethnic groups of African descent.