
By analyzing the civil rights movements and the black panther party we can begin to understand the message behind Stokely Carmichael’s Black Power where he calls for change and evaluates some of the predominant symbols of the civil rights movement.  Stokely Carmichael focuses on how a group of people can change or “move” as well as on the symbol of the black panther as it pertains to black people’s identity.  Much of process establishing the identity of the Black community involved the Black Panther Party which used extreme symbols to present themselves as a force to be reckoned with.

The Black Panther Party is one that was associated with many controversial events, many of which included the founders of the party.  Huey P Newton, one of the founding members of the Black Panther party had a tremendous effect on the civil rights movement as well as the Black Panther Party.  One movement that he was associated with was the Free Huey movement.  The Free Huey movement was one that was sparked by a routine traffic stop between Huey Newton and an officer on duty.  The result of the, supposedly routine, stop escalated to a shooting leaving Huey wounded and the officer dead.  The controversial point in this case was that no firearm found in Huey Newton’s vehicle yet he was still indicted and found guilty of the murder of that officer.  In summation, the Free Huey movement was a series of rallies in an attempt to free Newton from prison. The most influential visual in the Black Panther Party was a picture of the founder, Huey Newton, holding a shotgun in one hand and holding an African spear in the other.  He is also surrounded by two ancient African shields and has a piece of African art to his back.  This picture was printed on thousands of posters across the nation and appeared to be a call to action to black people to join Newton and the Black Panther Party (Jo-Ann 129-148).  

Another symbol that was emphasized in the Black Panther Party was the black panther.  The panther was important to the BPP because it was a symbol of aggression and strength.  Also, the panther’s color, black, was, for some, a representation of their “blackness.”  Overall the BPP played a vital role in portraying the black community’s voice during the civil rights era.  

The BPP had a “by any means necessary” approach much like the one employed by Malcom X.  On the other hand, there was the more popular approach backed by Martin Luther King Jr.  This approach was one that was based upon legal protest with no violence involved (Richard King 435-439).  The primary face of the civil rights movement was Martin Luther King Jr.  When we review the civil rights movement the first person to be mentioned is Martin Luther King Jr.  One of the most famous events that involved Dr. King was the Selma to Montgomery march.  This march took place from March 21 to March 25.  “The marchers reached Montgomery on March 25 after marching for almost 12 hours a day and sleeping in fields at some point.” (History.com Staff, 2010) When they arrived in Montgomery they were greeted by over 50,000 other supporters white and black alike (History.com Staff, 2010).  

One of the most controversial problems that occurred during the civil rights era was white supremacy.  With Jim Crowe laws, murders, and political parties it was evident that blacks were not welcome in society. The majority of political parties in the south were predominantly white which only encouraged the publication of seemingly unjust laws.  On top of that, with most government officials being white, much of the trials were unfair and in the favor of white people.  One of the most famous cases was the one that started the Free Huey movement. This case was between an unarmed Huey Newton and a police officer who was obviously armed.  This case resulted in Newton being jailed and the officer who shot newton was given the verdict of not guilty. 

In Stokely Carmichael’s Black Power, he argues that the white America needs to be questioned and he coins the term Black power.  He questions, “How can black people in this country (United States) move?”  This is very crucial in the civil rights movement, in relation to the black power movement, because they way black people expressed their voice was through their actions.  The most famous image of the black power movement, one of Huey Newton, is a perfect example of this expression.  In the image, he is wearing all black with a leather jacket and leather hat.   

Also in Carmichael’s black power, he discusses the importance of the panther as a symbol.  He states “…if you have a party you must have an emblem.  We (black panther party) chose for the emblem a panther, a beautiful black animal which symbolizes the strength and dignity of black people…” This symbol, as well as the Huey newton image, helped to develop the identity of the black community during the civil rights movement.  

Much of the civil rights movement was comprised of moments of violence and nonviolence.  Carmichael addresses the issue of white on black violence by stating that “White people are afraid to go into go into a black ghetto at night… so you get a man to do it for you – a policeman.” This demonstrated that white on black violence was an unfortunate but important aspect of the civil rights movement.  Also during this time the Selma march and others around the nation demonstrated that white supremacy was an issue. Most of the time when there was a large group of people that would come to a city they were turned away by teams of police that were armed with riot shields and clubs.  Many times, black people were targeted by these officers and were clubbed and sometimes sprayed with fire hoses.

Stokely Carmichael notes the issue of white supremacy by calling out the Alabama democratic party.  The Alabama democratic party was an all-white male party that had an emblem that even said white supremacy.  Stokely Carmichael stated “It (Alabama Democratic Party) has its emblem as a white rooster and the words ‘white supremacy’ for the right… why don’t they call the Alabama democratic party the ‘White Cock Party?’” This analogy, in relation to the Free Huey movement, is important because it provides a clear demonstration of how white people were dominating political and social decisions.  This hindrance, in terms of establishing an identity for the black community, put many leaders of movements behind bars not allowing people to associate themselves with a common cause.

In conclusion, when we study the various movements and events that occurred throughout the civil rights era we can better understand the push for equality that Stokely Carmichael emphasizes in Black Power.  More specifically the events of the Free Huey movement and the Black Panther Party were some of the most significant in the establishment of the identity of the black community.  Some of what the Black Panther Party stood for was violent and gruesome.  On the other hand, one of the most influential figures in the civil rights era, MLK Jr.  provided a very different approach for people to follow.  Martin Luther King Jr. led peaceful movements such as the Selma to Montgomery march where he walked with thousands of others both white and black into Montgomery simply because he saw unrest.  In relation to Stokely Carmichael’s message these events emphasized that society needed to be changed because they occurred under the influence of injustice giving rise to movements led by Huey Newton and MLK.
