
Black Power is more of a “symbol” than a statement in the world today. In 2016, black power, now all lives matter, is still the topic of discussion for many around the US. The thought that comes to mind for many people today when they think of black power is an African American’s closed fist in the air. No one truly knows why the “symbol” black power is so iconic and has made the effect it has on the world today. Stokely Carmichael, an African American, made a “Black Power” speech at UC Berkeley in 1966 to nearly all white students. This was the spark of the slogan “Black Power” and contributed to the fight for equal rights. The significance of Stokely Carmichael’s “Black Power” speech can be better understood if you have knowledge of the historical and cultural events during the 1960’s time period.    

Stokely Carmichael is an African American who as a child was unaware of the real discrimination and struggles for being black. He was a smart student growing up and went to white schools as a child even though he was discriminated. As Carmichael got older, he wanted to help the fight in the civil rights movement and become an advocate for the civil rights movement. At the age of nineteen, he actively participated in the 1961 Freedom Rides (Stokely Carmichael). That is when he became an active advocate for the civil rights movement. He was a member of the SNCC, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which was a group that would campaign and help give younger African Americans a voice in the movement. At the age of twenty-five, he gave his historic “Black Power” speech which would help shape the world today. “He became the most dynamic spokesman on record, delivering speeches for black aspirations around the world” (Gordon).

Black Power is more than just a symbol. It is a very historic speech. The speech “Black Power” by Stokely Carmichael is very historic. He gave his speech at UC Berkeley in 1966 about getting more rights as an African American. The most notable part about this speech was that he gave it to a predominately all white college students. He spoke about African Americans taking a stand for themselves to help make change and eventually work toward their goal of equal treatment and integration. This speech would be the “big bang” of the civil rights movement. 

The civil rights movement was a movement in the 1960s with advocates such as Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Stokely Carmichael, and Martin Luther King Jr. The movement would help get African Americans a say in the government. Whites and blacks were segregated on buses, restaurants, schools, and bathrooms. The movement was the only way to help get equal rights and end segregation in America for blacks that were constantly discriminated and hated on for their skin complexion. In an article called “Black Males in the Civil Rights Movement” by Jacob U. Gordon he talks about the major points and male contributors of the civil rights movement. He said black male leaders sought in diverse ways to advance African Americans and overcome the racial barriers and oppression that pervaded American society. Gordon, also talks about the marches and sit-ins that were used to help show unity, a brotherhood, among blacks trying to get equal rights. This article shows why Carmichael’s speech was very important and helped progress the movement forward. Gordon called him the most dynamic spokesman. The speech was necessary because it started to bring unity among Caucasians and African Americans which was essential for the movements advancement. Carmichael started to do what others couldn’t which was bring whites and blacks together and have them agree to help make progression. Now, Carmichael would be one of the most influential African American leaders who ultimately helped integrate not only buses and schools but America today. 

The peak of the civil rights movement was in the mid-1960s when their movement started becoming nationally recognized. The civil rights movement which would help African Americans get equal rights. An article written by Philip G Atlbach in 1966, a white supporter of the civil rights movement, called “Black Power’ and the US Civil Rights Movement” was about how blacks move forward toward their goal if they keep the movement going. In the article, he made an argument saying that African Americans standing up for themselves will make a difference. Also, Atlbach talked about how making a nationwide movement with “black power” is helping them gain political power and shows that they have a strong sense of nationalism. This helps show why Carmichael’s speech was so significant. He gave the speech when African Americans were rarely listened to and to give it to a predominately white crowd was unprecedented. In Stokely’s speech, he argued about black power being a way for blacks to move forward in the 1960s during the civil rights movement. Also, Carmichael stated that they can’t wait for change or for the white man to help them progress. Atlbach said that “negroes are no longer willing to rely on whites for their political emancipation, and find it necessary to achieve their freedom, in both economic and political terms, on their own.” He agreed with their idea and thought that it was a way for them to develop and make substantial changes. That statement is very significant because in the 1960s all whites disagreed with blacks and the only thoughts that they had about them was that they need to stay segregated. Atlbach’s, a white male, statement shows that he is agreeing and visualizes the future the same as many African Americans. It was rare for whites and blacks to agree and if they did then that was a big step in the progression of equal rights for African Americans. 

In conclusion, Stokely Carmichael’s “Black Power” speech was more than just a speech, it was a revelation. The civil rights movement was for African Americans to get equal rights, treatment, and integration. Carmichael making this speech during the peak of the civil rights movement to a predominantly all white crowd was unprecedented. “He became the most dynamic spokesman on record, delivering speeches for black aspirations around the world” (Gordon). Atlbach, a white male, agreed with the movement and wanted to see it progress forward. His speech was a main cause of whites and blacks coming together to protest. Stokely Carmichael’s “Black Power” was a transcendent speech that has been and will forever be one of the most influential speeches ever given.
