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Prof discusses Black Power
by Supreetha Gubbala
News | 9/16/08
Posted online at 2:44 AM EST on 9/16/08
/ Last updated at 9:44 PM EST on 9/16/08
Renowned author Prof. Peniel E. Joseph (AAAS) discussed his book, Waiting 'Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America, which centers on the ways the Black Power Movement and the Civil Rights Movement influenced race relations in American history, during a "Meet the Author" event last Wednesday.
Joseph's combination of European history and African studies during his undergraduate career led to the creation of a unique approach to American history on which he focused his Ph.D.
"What I try to do professionally when I think about Black Power is always think about it in the sense of how is it going to impact the discipline of not only African studies but also American history, American studies, sociology and what have you," he said during his speech.
He discussed his unique approach to the period between 1950 and 1975, focusing mainly on the Black Power Movement and its resounding effects on how Americans viewed the Civil Rights Movement. Beginning the story of the Black Power movement in the June 1966 Greenwood protest, Joseph explained how Stokely Carmichael really sparked this movement by coining "Black Power" as a replacement for "Freedom Now." This small alteration in wording led to a complex shift in the attitudes of Americans around the nation, starting with Time magazine calling the Black Power movement "a racist philosophy."
As Joseph writes in his novel, "Almost as soon as it was uttered a new wave of black aspirations, dreams, and dissent became encapsulated within one powerful slogan-Black Power-that would become as hard to define as it would remain controversial."
After reviewing his take on how the Black Power utterance sparked a turning point in the Civil Rights movement, Joseph went on to define the true nature of Black Power during the Civil Rights Movement, one that is contrary to the popular opinion.
"The Black Power Movement is usually thought of in popular imagination as the Civil Rights movement's evil twin, … usually characterized by gun-toting, black urban militants," Joseph said.
Joseph's combination of European history and African studies during his undergraduate career led to the creation of a unique approach to American history on which he focused his Ph.D.
"What I try to do professionally when I think about Black Power is always think about it in the sense of how is it going to impact the discipline of not only African studies but also American history, American studies, sociology and what have you," he said during his speech.
He discussed his unique approach to the period between 1950 and 1975, focusing mainly on the Black Power Movement and its resounding effects on how Americans viewed the Civil Rights Movement. Beginning the story of the Black Power movement in the June 1966 Greenwood protest, Joseph explained how Stokely Carmichael really sparked this movement by coining "Black Power" as a replacement for "Freedom Now." This small alteration in wording led to a complex shift in the attitudes of Americans around the nation, starting with Time magazine calling the Black Power movement "a racist philosophy."
As Joseph writes in his novel, "Almost as soon as it was uttered a new wave of black aspirations, dreams, and dissent became encapsulated within one powerful slogan-Black Power-that would become as hard to define as it would remain controversial."
After reviewing his take on how the Black Power utterance sparked a turning point in the Civil Rights movement, Joseph went on to define the true nature of Black Power during the Civil Rights Movement, one that is contrary to the popular opinion.
"The Black Power Movement is usually thought of in popular imagination as the Civil Rights movement's evil twin, … usually characterized by gun-toting, black urban militants," Joseph said.
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George Patsourakos
posted 9/17/08 @ 2:14 PM EST
I remember the early 1960s when President Kennedy initiated civil rights legislation, in an effort to ensure blacks had equal rights with whites. Although President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, President Johnson continued to promote President Kennedy's objective of equality. (Continued…)
Supreetha Gubbala
posted 9/27/08 @ 3:52 PM EST
My name is supreetha gubbala, and I wrote this article, just to let you know.
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