Introduction
Stokely Carmichael is a civil rights activist and founder of the notion of “Black Power.” He showed himself as a brilliant student both at school and university, where he became interested in the topic of civil rights (“Stokely Carmichael: West Indian-American Activist”).
His path in civil rights activism began by becoming a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (the SNCC). This essay focuses on Stokely Carmichael’s contribution to black nationalism. Although Carmichael faced difficulties during his journey to a life without racial inequality, he did not stop and kept spreading the slogan “black power” to London, Cuba, and Vietnam.
Stokely Carmichael’s Participation in Civil Rights Actions
Stokely Carmichael took part in many civil rights organizations, including his participation in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee led by James Forman, Bob Mosses, and Marion Barry (“SNCC”). The party aimed to provide black people with equal rights in civic actions. In 1966, Carmichael was elected as the head of this party, in which he integrated the term “Black Power” that characterized violence as self-defense. Carmichael was also a member of the Freedom Riders, a civil rights movement that fought against racial segregation. (“Stokely Carmichael: West Indian-American Activist”). The experience he got from participating in these actions prepared him for one of the most important marches in his life, the Meredith March.
The purpose of the Meredith March was to create equal rights for black voters to remove the fear of many black people to cross Mississippi and to fight against racism. It was organized by James Meredith in 1966 and implied a walk from Memphis to Jackson (Joseph, p. 77). During his second day, an unknown man shot Meredith and injured him. The journalists reported the news with an error saying that Meredith was killed. Even though the updating was done less than an hour later, the incident raised a wave of resentment among people. The new head of the Congress of Racial Equality Floyd McKissick announced the continuation of the movement and promised to finish it by gathering volunteers. This march embraced the Black Power notion and made Carmichael a prominent figure by representing him as a national civil rights activist. The movement lasted from May 8 till June 29, ending with a tribute of black and white people seeking justice and equality for everyone; even famous figures such as Marlon Brando joined in.
Challenges in the South
One of the challenges that Carmichael faced was whites’ hostility towards marches. During the Meredith March, when the crowd reached the Madison County Courthouse, the officials forbade protesters to pitch the tents (Joseph, p. 87). Despite the prohibition, Carmichael gave the order to settle down in front of McNeal Elementary School. This act led to the punishment of the protesters by patrolmen. They were throwing the gas canisters into people, but Carmichael and McKissick kept chanting, “Pitch the tents.” It was not the only violent act from the police troops. After each police attack, Carmichael was pointing at them, saying that these people are not able to protect anyone if they beat women and children and throw gas canisters at them. He took every opportunity to show the real face of the American political system.
During the march, Carmichael became a close friend with already well-known civil rights activist Martin Luther King-Jr, whose views and values although differed in some points were quite similar to Carmichael’s. The difference in opinions was another problem that Carmichael faced during his movements. King showed disapproval of the notion of “Black Power” because he saw violence in it. In his speeches, he expressed the position of many black people who were furious because of the attempt to murder James Meredith, at the same time reminding them of nonviolent politics. However, later King states, “If Stokely Carmichael now says that nonviolence is irrelevant, it is because he, as a dedicated veteran of many battles, has seen with his own eyes the most brutal white violence against Negroes and white civil rights workers, and he has seen it go unpunished” (p. 34). This shows his compromise with Carmichael on the issue of racial desegregation.
Despite difficulties, Carmichael kept traveling and giving speeches on civil rights freedom. People in London treated him as an idol and listened to his glorious speeches. He realized that the nonviolent tactics will not work, that is why he refused to talk about the topic of nonviolence and instead spoke about relevant things, such as self-defense. Although people loved him, he faced resentment from authorities and had to depart from London. He was invited by the Cuban officials to attend the Organization for Latin American Solidarity (Joseph, p. 144). There he became acquainted with Fidel Castro, Cuban human rights activist. His travel to Havana, Carmichael describes as “eye-opening, inspiring, and mind-blowing” (Joseph, p. 146). Later he booked a flight to Vietnam where he took part in actions against the Vietnam War.
Conclusion
To conclude, Stokely Carmichael’s contribution to racial equality was prominent. With his sharp mind and dedication on the way to making his nation free from discrimination he could convey a message to the masses, and people listened to him. The slogan” black power” inspired people to fight against injustice and racial discrimination, to define their rights, and to build a united community. Although he experienced some difficulties such as whites’ hostility and aim determination of the movements, he was conscious of these challenges and took advantage of them to subdue other countries with his great speeches.
Works Cited
- Joseph, Peniel E. Stokely: A Life. Basic Civitas, 2014.
- King, Martin Luther Jr. Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? Beacon Press, 2010.
- “SNCC.” History, 2019. Web.
- “Stokely Carmichael: West Indian-American Activist.” Britannica. Web.