The Black Power Movement was created to address the larger systemic issues with African Americans face as a result of centuries of subjugation and discrimination. However these ideas of black power also were met with huge backlash and they were often considered dangerous and threatening. This is perhaps unsurprising considering Americas tendency to dehumanize African Americans in order to justify their subjugation.
These racists beliefs and stereotypes are so deeply embedded in the American psyche that often we don't notice them or even care to acknowledge them.
This, as we’ve seen in the past few weeks, has devastating impacts for the African American community in the form of economic oppression and police violence. The Black Power Movement in the 1960s saw the emergence of many influential African American Leaders such as Angela Davis, Malcolm X, James Baldwin, and most famously Martin Luther King.
I am personally fascinated with Malcolm X, a name I had not heard until recently and someone who I think was greatly misunderstood in his beliefs. His ideology was the basis for the black power movement and the black lives matter movement and can be explained best like this: “Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.” I personally don’t condone violence I think especially now we’ve seen that it gives racist people an easy excuse to not endorse the movement and it muddies the message frankly.
But also, I empathize with the pain and suffering that these people have gone through for centuries. As they have been dehumanized and denied basic human rights. As they have to deal with disproportionate amounts of poverty and incarceration just because of the color of their skin.
How can we say our country stands for justice and equality when we blatantly disregard the rights and protections of all people who look different from us?
Why does it take such powerful assertions of pain for people to listen and hear?
Why does so much pain and death have to happen in order to foster change?
I hope and pray that this time, after what happened to George Floyd, things will be different. I hope we can reflect upon our history, learning from the successes and more importantly the shortcomings of these leaders, and our future.
I hope that through empathy and through conversation that these tragedies can be a thing of the past. But we are a long ways away from this type of justice I just hope that I can do my part in fostering positive change.
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