
In this text I will be looking at passages that have connections and overlap in context with Stokely Carmichaels “Black Power”. I will specifically be looking at passages that detail the violent turn of the civil rights movement. One of the historical connections between Stokely Carmichael’s “Black Power” and the text by Philip G Altbach is the violent turn that took place in the civil rights movement during the early 70’s. In “Black Power and the US civil rights movement” Philip G Altbach discusses the shift in tactics and increased militarization of the civil rights movement, specifically in the groups SNCC and CORE. He talks about the frustration African Americans have after about a decade of little to no progress and how many are tired of the nonviolent movement and are starting to demand their rights. Philip G Altbach also discusses the lack of white funding as a result of this increased militarization and how it could be detrimental to many civil rights groups. Another historical connection is the future hope felt by both Carmichael and Altbach that African Americans can rally around black power and how it can have a positive effect on the movement as a whole.  Although they both share this hope their views are vastly different. Carmichael sees the actions of the black power movement as the hope and believes that this new violent turn the movement has taken is the only way African Americans will gain full equality in this country. Philip G Altback sees the slogan of the movement as the hope and believes that African Americans will rally around a slogan that promotes their individuality and the fact that they are subject to no other man’s power but their own. He hopes that with the help of this slogan African Americans will reorganize and do away with the violence that has overcome the movement.

Like the narrative “Black Power” by Stokely Carmichael the article by Philip G Altbach is very pro civil rights movement, but it does contain some different viewpoints on how to achieve that goal. One could use the fact that white funding has dropped drastically “as stated in the article” to argue against increased militarization of civil rights groups. This article has shifted my perspective more to a middle ground between nonviolence and demanding your rights. I am not a fan of the purely nonviolent strategy of gaining civil rights, if I was protesting and someone attacked me my first instinct would be to fight back. However, after considering the repercussions of violent retaliation as stated in this article I think a moderate form of protest would be the way to go, I would defend myself but never be the aggressor. Reading Philip G Altbach’s article allows you to read Stokely Carmichael’s “Black Power” from the viewpoint of another African American man in that time period who believes in a different route to gaining full equality. 

While previously thinking of the early 70’s as a time of rioting and turmoil, after reading Stokely Carmichaels “Black Power” I can also see it as a struggle for freedom. The average white American during that time period most likely viewed the black power movement much like the British viewed the patriots during the revolutionary war, as a group of radicals causing unrest, turmoil, and destruction. On the other hand, the average African American living during that time period most likely viewed the black power movement like we today view the early American revolutionary’s, as marginalized group of people who were treated unjustly and decided to stand up and fight for their freedom. Reading Stokely Carmichaels text allowed me insight into the viewpoint of an African American living during that time period.

In the text “Black Power” by A.P. McDonald I will once again be looking for passages that have connections with Stokely Carmichaels text. This time however I will be looking for passages that specifically detail the psychological impact of the idea of black power. One connection between both of the “Black Power” texts is that they both talk about the psychological struggle that African Americans go through. In “Black Power” A.P. McDonald talks about how the idea of black power freed African Americans from psychological slavery that lasted 100 years after they were freed from physical slavery. Mcdonald states that the idea of black power “refers to a black man’s power over himself and not as some believe his control over the white man.” He also talks heavily about internal vs external expressive behavior and how the idea of black power proves that more and more African Americans are expressing themselves instrumentally. Stokely Carmichael talks about the psychological struggle of black people not being allowed to use words unless white people give sanction to them. Carmichael argues that using the phrase black power “whether they like it or not” is how you break the psychological chains placed upon you. The idea of black power and controlling your own destiny in the article by A.P. McDonald complements Stokely Carmichaels argument that it is not white people who give black people rights, black people are born with rights it is only white people who take them away. 

The information in this article does not change my perspective on Stokely Carmichaels’ text much as they are very similar, it only reinforces the thoughts I had already derived from it. However, this text did shape my perspective on the struggle of African Americans during the early 70’s. Previously when I thought of the African American struggle I thought of rights being restricted, discrimination from the housing market, and overt racism. Before reading A.P. Mcdonalds text I had never even considered the psychological struggle derived from years and years of being treated as less than human. This text gave me insight into psychological chains that lasted long after the physical chains were broken. I now realize why the idea of black power which is being able to control your own destiny was so important to the civil rights movement in the early 70’s. One could even argue that it was more important than some of the tangible progress the movement made, like less discrimination in the housing market.
