
Culture is the deciding factor which differentiates people from other people. Everyone can be seen through a cultural lens that shows the separation between people. But this is a good separation; for if everyone were the same, there would be no variety in the world. Culture has shaped history this way and continues to do so today. One such culture which has influenced history is that of African Americans; in the 1960s, African Americans were fighting for equal rights to white people. Their culture and language are prime examples of how they could affect the country. A speech by Stokely Carmichael talks about the inequalities which existed in America in the 1960s and some ways to remedy them, and two other pieces supplement Carmichael’s piece by giving further insight into the context of his piece, reinforcing his claims, and giving alternate views to the problems he says are happening. 

Carmichael’s speech was given in the 1960s, a time very tumultuous for African Americans. To understand more about what was going one, one should look to other sources to gain knowledge in order to diverge from Carmichael’s frustrated language. He often speaks in a tone that suggests anger and irritation which is not ideal for understanding the context in which he is writing. The first piece that gives better insight into the context of the 1960s in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” MLK’s piece is written in a calm manor which allows for the clear distinction between different events. He discusses about many issues, such as voting and segregation, which Carmichael’s speech slightly blows through in mild rants. King states that “[the US can never] afford to live with the narrow, provincial, ‘outside agitator’ idea” (King 2). What he means by this is that America is in a chronic state of prejudice. People are quick to judge others who are different from themselves. This is certainly the basis for the civil rights movement during this time. They wanted to make sure that the “outside agitator” idea was ended. Secondly, the article by George Burson is solely intended to teach people about the history of the black rights movement and how it came to be in the 1960’s. The article talks about how blacks were unable to vote because of poll taxes, literacy tests, etc. since “the United States’ population has always had strong racist elements in it” (Burson 35). The movement challenged those ideas and forced them to change. The racist elements were difficult to change, but the article shows us that African Americans did not want any more racism, so they fought for it. These passages allow the reader to better understand Carmichael’s frustration with the state of America in the 1960s.

Another import part of the two supplementing works are that they reinforce Carmichael’s claims. This shows that what he is saying is not just blatant accusations and are in fact legitimate concerns. Carmichael’s concern is that blacks are far more disadvantaged than whites. He claims that the entire system is rigged against blacks, and he is right. MLK’s letter talks about the exact same things Carmichael talks about: schools are segregated and not equal; blacks have difficulty voting because of tricks people use to prevent them from getting to the polls. There was just a general disgust that many white people had for African Americans and MLK acknowledges this and says it needs to be stopped. For example, Dr. King points out that “Throughout the state of Alabama all types of conniving methods are used to prevent Negroes from becoming registered voters and there some counties without a single Negro registered to vote despite the fact that the Negro constitutes a majority of the population” (King 8). Even MLK says that there is voting fraud going on which must be taken care of. He understands that this is a problem and gives more insight into it later, but his initial remarks are what allow the reader to better understand why Stokely Carmichael is angry. Similarly, the article by Burson tells of the same situation. Blacks are being treated as lesser people. Their rights as Americans are being infringed upon. Burson tells us that “as northern blacks began to demand equality through affirmative action and school integrations well, many northern whites began to oppose the movement” (Burson 36). The article does not provide opinions, but does provide ample amounts of information about the situations. Poll taxes were used to prevent illiterate blacks from voting, of which there were many This was partly due to the fact that many blacks attended schools which were literally falling apart, and the supplies African Americans had were far inferior to those of white students. These statements by reputable sources show the truth that further supports Carmichael’s speech.

Finally, these two pieces also imply alternate views of what Carmichael is saying. MLK talks about how white people want to separate themselves from blacks because they think them to be unclean and/or inferior. The alternate view here that the reader inadvertently thinks about is why white people do not want to be associated white the blacks. One might think it to be because they used to be slaves, or that a majority of them were uneducated. In fact, all of these are true because the white people didn’t want their system to be dragged down by the African Americans, when in fact, they needed to bring the African Americans up to their system. MLK gives a vision like this when he talks of the “nagging sign that read ‘white’ and ‘colored’” (King 6). Why else would one separate based on race if that person did not feel unclean by being associated with the other race? Burson’s article also implies these thoughts. People like knowing why others don’t like them. It’s just human nature, so when facts give the standing of whites and blacks in the 1960s, one is able to see that the majority of African Americans are living in a terrible situation, and a majority of white are living in a great situation. Of course, one would not want to lose their great situation which is why Carmichael complains about this. He says that people need to be accepting of one another and be able to integrate and all be on the same level. Burson reinforces this by saying “they were not allowed to swim in the public swimming pools, attend the local movie theater, or use the public library” (Burson 36). Again, why else would people separate themselves from others in such an extremely unfair way if not because they did not like that group of people. Overall, the combination of the alternate insights to Carmichael’s statements.

Overall, MLK’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and an article by George Burson supplement Carmichael’s piece by giving further insight into the context of his piece, reinforcing his claims, and giving alternate views to the problems he says are happening. People should understand why people have the views that they have be okay with disagreeing with them, but the first step in either case which everyone needs to follows is understanding.
