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https://muw.zoom.us/j/94479534461
Link to Recorded Presentations
https://athenacommons.muw.edu/urc/2021/humanities/3
Department
History, Political Science, & Geography
Format of Presentation
Oral Presentation
Research Category
Humanities
Description
As tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets with the chants of “Black Lives Matter!” Or “hands up, don’t shoot” issues such as police brutality and institutional racism have once again been thrust into the national spotlight. The strength, longevity, and occasional violence associated with these protests have made Americans from all backgrounds aware of the demands of the protestors. Unsurprisingly, these recent protests, often concerned with issues of race and justice, have drawn comparisons to the powerful protests of the civil rights era. As a result of the success of the civil rights movement and leaders such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., the Black Power and Black nationalist movements took root in America hoping to unite the invigorated spirit of many African Americans. Like the civil rights era, the recent protests have had a radicalizing impact on some African Americans, as membership of contemporary Black nationalist groups has exploded in recent months. This paper examines four Black nationalist groups: the Black Panther Party (BPP) and the Republic of New Africa (RNA), both of which were a product of the civil rights era, as well as the New Black Panther Party (NBPP) and the Not F---ing Around Coalition (NFAC), two extremist groups that are leading the charge of the most radicalized African Americans in today’s society. Although the time-period in between the four groups stretches nearly 55 years, the core tenets of Black nationalism have stayed the same. While the four groups have clear differences in politics (from Marxism, to African socialism, to left-wing paramilitarism), ideology, and areas of influence, they all believe that the United States and its institutions are unreformably racist and the only way for Black people to become truly liberated is through the creation of an independent Black nation or, at the very least, self-determination for the Black citizenry in America.
Recommended Citation
McGee, John, "“Yes, Separation! No, Integration!” A Historical Analysis of Black Nationalist Groups Across the Decades: From the Civil Rights Era to the Contemporary Era" (2021). Undergraduate Research Conference. 3.
https://athenacommons.muw.edu/urc/2021/humanities/3
Included in
African American Studies Commons, American Politics Commons, Political History Commons, Political Theory Commons, Social History Commons, United States History Commons
“Yes, Separation! No, Integration!” A Historical Analysis of Black Nationalist Groups Across the Decades: From the Civil Rights Era to the Contemporary Era
As tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets with the chants of “Black Lives Matter!” Or “hands up, don’t shoot” issues such as police brutality and institutional racism have once again been thrust into the national spotlight. The strength, longevity, and occasional violence associated with these protests have made Americans from all backgrounds aware of the demands of the protestors. Unsurprisingly, these recent protests, often concerned with issues of race and justice, have drawn comparisons to the powerful protests of the civil rights era. As a result of the success of the civil rights movement and leaders such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., the Black Power and Black nationalist movements took root in America hoping to unite the invigorated spirit of many African Americans. Like the civil rights era, the recent protests have had a radicalizing impact on some African Americans, as membership of contemporary Black nationalist groups has exploded in recent months. This paper examines four Black nationalist groups: the Black Panther Party (BPP) and the Republic of New Africa (RNA), both of which were a product of the civil rights era, as well as the New Black Panther Party (NBPP) and the Not F---ing Around Coalition (NFAC), two extremist groups that are leading the charge of the most radicalized African Americans in today’s society. Although the time-period in between the four groups stretches nearly 55 years, the core tenets of Black nationalism have stayed the same. While the four groups have clear differences in politics (from Marxism, to African socialism, to left-wing paramilitarism), ideology, and areas of influence, they all believe that the United States and its institutions are unreformably racist and the only way for Black people to become truly liberated is through the creation of an independent Black nation or, at the very least, self-determination for the Black citizenry in America.
https://athenacommons.muw.edu/urc/2021/humanities/3