Essay: Stokely Carmichael

The 1960’s Civil Rights Movement marked a period in time of great societal change and upheaval, and its outcomes have and continue to influence the US. Key events, figures and organisations during the Civil Rights Movement left an intelligible mark on history and these effects, both long and short term, can still be felt. The Civil Rights Movement aimed to secure the legal rights for African American people that other American citizens already enjoyed. The primary goals of the movement were to; abolish black oppression, promote equality and have freedom from discrimination for African Americans. One such revered civil rights activist was Stokely Carmichael, a Trinidadian-American, who was primarily known for leading the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Black Panther Party. It was Carmichael’s leadership of the people and his involvement with the countering of black oppression, that throughly promoted the goals of the Civil Rights Movement.
Stokely Carmichael’s leadership during the course of the Civil Rights Movement countered black oppression and further encouraged consideration of equal rights for African-American people. Throughout his advocacy, Carmichael popularised the term ‘black power’, participated in sit-ins and Freedom Rides – nonviolent protests against inequality, increased the number of African-American voters in the Deep South and worked alongside other activists such as Dr Martin Luther King Jr and H. Rap Brown. Through his participation in Freedom Rides (1961) and sit-ins, Carmichael became well known as a leader in non-violent protesting and gained a large following. It was through his non-violent protesting, that Carmichael urged his fellow African-Americans for a complete rejection of the values held by American society. Despite several arrests, he still remained heavily involved in the struggle, speaking out against inequality. This can be seen in his “African American Freedom Struggle” speech in which he states; “I maintain that every civil rights bill was passed for white people, not for black people” (S. Carmichael, 1966). By explicitly drawing attention to the apparent racism of the laws and how the legislations did not take into account people of colour, Carmichael significantly countered black oppression. Furthermore, through communication of his views on militancy, Stokely Carmichael was able to redefine the direction of the CRM and take a militant stance. In doing so, black identity in America became more heavily focused around a militant and conflictual prototype ( K. Stewart, 1977 p. 433-434). By capitalising on the undercurrent of discontent and transforming it into the sentiment of black pride, Carmichael changed the attitude of many African-Americans and promoted the goals. Primary newspaper article, “Stokely, Rap Chart ‘Strategy of Survival’, demonstrates these militaristic values and calls for the “rejection of socialist and communist ideologies in favour of militant black nationalism…and armed protection of black communities” (G. Dennis, 1967). It was through Carmichael’s militaristic ideals and frustrations with the lack of progress for equality, that further paved the way for the ‘Black Power’ movement.
The philosopher behind the Black Power movement, Stokely Carmichael, called for economic, political and cultural self-determination of African Americans. The term ‘black power’ held particular significance and resonated in the hearts of a group of people who had long been held to white benchmarks and standards, these standards being inequitable and discriminatory against people of colour. Carmichael’s ‘Black Power’ speech given in Berkeley, California (October 1966) in which he speaks out about double standards and nonviolence, was indicative of his controversial yet, largely influential position in the struggle for equality. The primary source makes explicit reference to the double standards at which black communities are held to by white communities, that are wilfully blind to the violence they perpetuate on others: “The only time I hear people talk about nonviolence is when black people move to defend themselves against white people. White people beat up black people everyday – nobody talks about nonviolence. But as soon as black people start to move, the double standard comes into being” (S. Carmichael, 1966). This source evidently displays the struggles at which Carmichael and African American people as a whole, dealt with in their battle for equal rights and resources. Similarly, in a primary image from 1966, Carmichael is pictured with a raised fist, synonymous of black power, which drew on the symbolism of African American Olympian, Jesse Owens, who raised a fist at the Munich Games in defiance of Aryan superiority. The raised fist was an attempt to show solidarity and resistance in the face of a number of human rights violations and to represent the oppressed and marginalised groups, this group being African American people. Through Carmichael’s continuous determination to secure equal rights and prevent oppression in the face of adversity, he became spokesperson for many African American people who had not previously had a voice. However, it was his affiliation with the Black Panther Party which brought into question his motives regarding the goals.
Contrarily, whilst Carmichael remained one of the movement’s most promising leaders, his eventual alliance with the militant Black Panther Party and their tactics used, which were based on violence, slowed the progress that had been gained since the beginning of 1954. His erosion of faith in non-violent resistance was resultant in his radicalised perspective as displayed in historical source….. Upon “enduring repeated acts of violence and humiliation at the hands of white police officers without recourse”, Carmichael “turned the SNCC in a sharply radical direction, making it clear that white members, once actively recruited, were no longer welcome” ( ). This reliable secondary source, corroborated with other textbooks, provides context into Carmichael’s shift towards separatist ideas and gives insight into his motives. Despite his dedication to the SNCC and enacting change using nonviolence, Carmichael, as well as many other African-Americans, felt progress was too slow and began to lose faith in non-violent resistance. This, coupled with other occurrences of disillusionment, was the eventual cause for Carmichael’s partial adoption of black supremacist and separatist ideologies. Carmichael, as well as radicals like Malcom X, believed that the only way to promote equality was through preaching violence and separating black people from their white counterparts, as a form of ‘equality’. This is clearly evident in Carmichael’s speech, ‘We Must Destroy the Capitalistic System Which Enslaves Us’, advocating the necessity for black revolution: “Our major enemy is the honkie… We have people today who are willing to oft (kill)…We must be concerned with our people. The hell with this — country. Let’s be concerned with our people” (S. Carmichael, 1966). This primary source, representative of the violent aspects and ideas promoted by the Black Panther Party / Carmichael, caused a negative shift in public opinion regarding the struggle for black equality. Explicitly, a call to action is made against groups which threaten the BPP’s ideals. By stating, “our major enemy is the honkie…we have people today who are willing to oft (kill)..”, Carmichael’s speech implicitly shows the lengths that the party and his supporters were willing to take in order to get their message across. However, in 1982, it was the threat of violence from the BPP which loomed over the public, that ultimately lead to the disbanding of the group by law enforcement. Consequently, although Carmichael’s alliance with the BPP and their violent tactics used, somewhat hindered the movement’s objectives; individually, Carmichael inherently maintained his stance on the promotion of the goals.
In conclusion, despite his alliance with the Black Panther Party and the violence it promoted; it was Stokely Carmichael’s countering of black oppression and his advocacy for equality through the ‘Black Power’ slogan, that undoubtedly contributed to the goals of the Civil Rights Movement. By participating in Freedom Rides and redirecting the CRM into that of a militaristic direction, Carmichael was responsible for much progression in terms of securing equal rights. Additionally, through the popularisation of black power, this enabled for the self-determination of African Americans through political, cultural and economical means. It is this confluence of factors in which it can be rightly argued, that Stokely Carmichael was a pivotal leader in the promotion of black equality and furthered the goals.