
In “Black Power,” a speech by Stokely Carmichael, there is an emphasis on the oppressive nature of various institutions in society. He addresses his audience of mainly white individuals and iterates that African Americans have not been given truly equal rights for a long time now and it is due a plethora of societal issues. A theme throughout his essay is summarized by the quote, “No man can give anybody his freedom” (Carmichael 314-315). This goes for anybody, but African Americans specifically because in the past white people have come to believe that they had the authority to grant others freedoms. This should not be the case and he advocates for a shift in thinking across the country. A few of the institutions that Carmichael discusses are the Vietnam War and the revolutionary movements that had to do with Civil Rights including the Black Panther Party.  

The Vietnam War created a lot of tension throughout the country. There were a lot of people that supported the war and America’s efforts, but there were also a lot of people who opposed the war wholeheartedly and wanted America to stop getting involved. Both sides of the argument made valid points and at the end of the day the United States did remain involved, which led to the loss of many lives. The basis of the war and why it started began with South Vietnam being pitted against the communist regime of North Vietnam. America is a democratic nation and wants every other country to also be democratic, which are ideals that directly conflict with communism. This war was long and extremely costly for all participants and there were more than three million deaths that occurred due to this war. 

Not only was the Vietnam War highly controversial, but the role that African Americans played was even more of a debated topic. The review by Jason Kirby in “The Journal of Military History”, the Vietnam War is discussed and specifically the role of African Americans. The 1960’s were a tumultuous time for a multitude of reasons, but one large issue were the civil rights struggles that many had to endure. There was an executive order given by President Truman that desegregated the military so that any able man could fight for the United States regardless of skin color. With this, there was a false image depicted making it seem as if the military was a smooth, integrated organization after that. This was not the case at all. African Americans being given the opportunity to fight in a war was definitely a right that set a positive tone for gaining rights moving forward, but it by no means made the military an institution that valued equality in the eyes of race or color of a soldiers’ skin. In fact, the discriminatory practices that the military was a part of took away from the assimilation that was supposed to be beneficial (Kirby 979). African American troops were offered enticements after this right was given to them including educational benefits for when they returned. This made the war seem appealing for those that would not have educational prospects otherwise, but whether or not those prospects were actually granted is dubious. As a soldier, there is no guarantee that they come home safely, but African Americans soldiers worried constantly they were often times subjected to the more dangerous and life threatening positions. What made the discrimination in the war worse was that when they returned, nothing had changed and the idea that they would come home to more equality was sadly inaccurate. 

In “Black Power,” Stokley Carmichael discusses many of the grievances that he has with the world and how African American individuals are treated, but one specific example is the Vietnam War. He is incredibly against this war and explicitly states that “the war in Vietnam is an illegal and immoral war.” Not only is he against the war itself, but also the draft and how it controls what a man will do with his life if he is forced to become a part of this organization. The article talked about how the equality back home was not increased or mended because of African Americans serving in the war and a prime example of this is when Carmichael says “Any time a black man leaves the country, gets shot in Vietnam on foreign ground, and returns home and you won’t give him a burial in his own homeland, he’s a black mercenary, a black mercenary” (320). This was the unfortunate reality for many African Americans individuals and their families. The fallen soldiers with darker skin were deemed less worthy and not given the proper burial ceremony. This happened frequently because a lot of African Americans lost their lives in this war due to being put in more dangerous situations than white soldiers. That is the prejudiced experience that African Americans who were drafted had to tolerate. They were forced to put their life on the line for a country that did not even have the decency to give them basic human rights. As Carmichael stated, the black man has always known that he had rights; it is the white individual who has to be told that blacks also have rights (315). 

African Americans being given the opportunity to fight in the war for the United States was a big step in the direction of having equal rights for everyone unrelated to skin color. The article “Revolutionary Black Nationalism: The Black Panther Party” by Jessica C. Harris discusses the Black Panther Party and their significance when it comes to the Civil Rights era. From about 1966 to the mid-1970’s, this party became the “leading revolutionary nationalist organization” (Harris 413).  African Americans in the United States were incredibly displeased with the current system and wanted to make a change so that equality could be achieved. The party created a 10-point platform in which they stood behind. The platform included freedom to determine their own destiny, full employment, better education opportunities, an end to police brutality, the exemption of all black men to military service and more (Harris 416). The Black Panthers for Self-Defense did not have peaceful revolutionary exhibitions all the time and they were not afraid to be violent towards the system in which they felt trapped, which typically took the form of white police officers. The Black Panthers invoked a lot of change in society including their belief in the right to bear arms, which they implemented by supplying each new member with a gun. They also had a plan to end police brutality that included an arrangement of “armed cars to patrol the black community” and make sure that they were not being taken advantage of. In 1966, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) chose the black panther to be the emblem of their organization and this was because the animal itself will never attack unless provoked, but if provoked it will passionately defend its life. This was a big ideal of the Black Panther party for some time. Violent actions did take place within their protests and revolutionary activities, but to them the violence was always provoked whether directly or indirectly. African Americans in the United States were beyond frustrated with the treatment they received and the rights that they were not granted so the Black Panther party was formed and although it did not remain a strong force in society for a long time, they made a stand and stood by what they believed. 

The Black Panther party is mentioned in “Black Power” in reference to the Lowndes County Freedom Organization. This was a political party in Alabama that chose the black panther as their emblem. They chose this emblem due to the meaning behind the animal and this is pertinent because Carmichael believes that violence is necessary for their revolution. He remarks several times how African Americans have “their back against the wall” and no other option left, but to fight. One of the main frustrations of the Black Panther Party is the existence of police brutality towards individuals because of the color of their skin. This became a huge issue and the SNCC along with the Black Panther party wanted an end to this. The Black Panther party was created at the peak of the Civil Rights era when African Americans were fighting hard to have equality and be given the same rights as a white individual has living in the United States. More so than anything, African Americans wanted the ability to call the shots of their own life and not have it be dictated by the white people in society who think that they know what is best for everyone. It is a power struggle and African Americans did not have the power to make change so violence is an evil that they turned to. Rights were granted to them after some time, but Carmichael says that these rights were still for white people because they always knew they could vote, it was the white people who had to be told to let them (315). The culture of white supremacy must be abolished before any real change can be made and while there has been progress, Carmichael suggests that there is a long way to go before everyone is truly equal. 

Stokely Carmichael in his speech, “Black Power,” discusses the unfair treatment of African Americans in the Vietnam War specifically and in the Civil Rights movement when it comes to the way in which they were given rights. No man has power over another man to say whether or not they are free. “All men are born free.” This has never been the case for everyone especially African Americans and he calls to action for people moving forward. Violence is not the answer, but Carmichael says that it is the answer because of the mistreatment in the Vietnam War and the struggle of Civil Rights that are imposed on African Americans. These institutions are corrupt according to Carmichael and they need to be fixed so that they are not oppressive when it comes to people’s skin colors. 
