Black Power Movement:

The term 'Black Power' was initially a vague slogan used by some black leaders in United states during the 1960's,the most notable among them was Stokely Carmichael, This term grew in its prominence during a protest march in June 16, 1966 after the shooting of James Meredith during the "March against fear", when Stokely Car michael said:

"This is the twenty-seventh time I have been arrested and I ain't going to jail no more! The only way we gonna stop them white men from whuppin' us is to take over. What we gonna start sayin' now is Black Power!"

The term in itself became a means by which black Americans united themselves to achieve equality, freedom and dignity. The term "Black power" grew to be a movement among people of Black African descent throught the world as it covered a range of ideologies and visions from racial pride and the creation of black political and cultural institutions to nurture and promote black collective interests and advance black values. As the movement expressed a range of political goals it was very popular among a large section of Blacks and entered the mainstream politics.

The Black power movement itself grew out of the civil rights movement which has gained momentum during the 1950s and 1960s, In a way the Black power movement changed the way how blacks saw themselves. Black power movement was successful in installing a sense of racial pride and self esteem, the leaders of the movement encouraged blacks to form or join all black political parties which in turn could provide a strong power base and offer a foundation for real socio-economic progress for the black community in USA. The leaders stressed on the point that for years blacks have been trying to aspire to white ideals of what they should be, and it was time now to set their own agenda. In fact, the first step was the replacement of the word "Negro" with "Black". These movements were led by groups such as National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Southern Christian Leadership conference(SCLC) and STStudent Nonviolent coordinating committee (SNCC).

The movement was hailed by many as a positive and proactive force aimed at helping blacks achieve full equality with whites, and was reviled by others as a militant.

The movement helped in creating a number of positive developments in the Black community. The most noteworthy of them being, its influence on black culture, for the first time, blacks in the United States were encouraged to acknowledge their African heritage with a sense of pride. Universities and colleges established black studies programs and black studies departments. Blacks who had grown up believing that they were descended from a backwards people who could be only be laborers or slave, now found out that African culture was as rich and diverse as any other culture in the world, and they were encouraged to take pride in their heritage and culture.

The same spirit of racial pride that made the Black Power movement so dynamic also made it problematic and dangerous for some. Many whites some of the blacks, saw the movement as a black separatist movement with and intention of segregating blacks and whites and undoing the important developments that were brought forth by the civil rights movement.

The Black Power movement did not succeed in getting blacks to break away from white society and create a separate society nor did it help end discrimination or racism. It did, however, help provide some of the elements that were ultimately necessary for blacks and whites to gain a fuller understanding of each other.