Black Panther Party's Expression in the Black Arts Movement
Unite (First State), 1969, by Barbara Jones-Hogu
The Black Arts Movement (BAM) emerged in the 1960s as the cultural side of the Black Power Movement, an alternative to the Civil Right’s protests. Instead of using the existing political system to ask for Black rights, members of the Black Power movement demanded change and aimed to dismantle the racist system that degraded them. BAM emphasized artistic expression as a tool for political and social change. By destroying White mainstream culture the BAM would forge a new society that served people of color. Aligned with organizations like the Black Panther Movement, BAM strived to promote self-determination and challenge systematic racism through art. Poems such as “For Black Poets Who Think of Suicide” and “Jesus was crucified, or it Must Be DEEP,” alongside the Black Panther Party’s “10-Point Program,” show that the Black Arts Movement functioned as a vehicle for empowerment by promoting self-definition, revolutionary resistance, and the importance of education in achieving Black liberation.
“For Black Poets Who Think of Suicicde” and the first point of the “10-Point Program” illustrate how the Black Arts Movement was inextricably tied to political and social change. The first point in the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense’s 10-Point Program was “We believe that Black people will not be free until we are able to determine our destiny.” The general sentiment that Black freedom required a reinvention of what it meant to be Black in the first place was widespread throughout BAM literature. We see this concept expressed in the poem “For Black Poets Who Think of Suicide.” The poem reads, “For Black poets belong to Black People… Are the trumpets of Black Warriors.” In other words Black identity must be collectively defined by Black people for Black people. The poem emulates the actions of the Black Panther Party by not only suggesting that Black people must determine their own destinies, but by stating that they must become "warriors" in order to do so. The Black Panther’s image was that of a warrior publicly brandishing firearms as a show of reclaimed power.
Bobby Seale and Huey Newton; Photo by Bruno Barbey
Part of the Black Panther Party’s move toward liberation and self-determinism was demanding education designed to illuminate the complex history of Black people. Point 5 of the “10-Point Program” stated “We Want Education For Our People That Exposes The True Nature Of This Decadent American Society. We Want Education That Teaches Us Our True History And Our Role In The Present-Day Society.” This line of thought sharply contrasts older Black generations who thought pleasing white society by living how White people intended Black people to was the best solution to oppression. The poem “Jesus was crucified, or it Must Be DEEP (an epic poem)” details the clash between older and younger generations on the importance of education by Black teachers for Black students. “Why it’s something wrong wid yo mind girl that’s what it is and i sd yes, i was aware a lot lately and she sd if she had evah kown educashum woulda mad me crazy, she woulda neva sent me to school (college that is).” A reader can infer her mother’s lack of formal education both from her vernacular and negative views on college. Instead of championing an education as a tool for understanding and change, her mother views it as crazy inducing and maybe even dangerous. The Black Panther Party tried to move away from this ideology and create a world in which Black people were educated on the brutal reality of history.
Unlike older Black generations the Black Panther Party directly blamed White people for stealing from them and perpetuating racism. In point 3 of the “10-Point Program” they write, “We believe that this racist government has robbed us, and now we are demanding the overdue debt of forty acres and two mules.” They go on to mention that while Germany pays retributions for the genocide of 6 millions Jews, the United States has never tried to aid Black people after murdering 50 million of them. Money for 40 acres of land seems like nothing with this perspective. This reminded me of the poem “Son of Msippi,” which reads, “I grew up, beside the prickly ball of white, beside the bone-filled Mississippi rolling on and on, breaking over, cutting off, ignoring my bleeding fingers.” Henry Dumas writes of a river of death into which his own blood seeps. Yet, he ignores his pain and asks nothing of the white people causing his suffering. While the Black Panther Party demands their suffering be recognized, they still ask for very little in the grand scheme of things.
The Black Arts Movement actively shaped and reflected the goals of Black liberation movements like the Black Panther Party. Through poetry and other art forms, BAM reveals how self-exploration became a tool for moving forward into a brighter future. Ultimately, the movement demonstrates that art was not just a reflection of political struggle, but a powerful tool used to inspire change, unify communities, and redefine what it meant to be Black in America.
Hi Sasha, I like how one of the points you focused on was the Black Panther Party's demand for education reform. One of their goals in spreading Black pride was for people to acknowledge their struggles and repay them for their hardships. The example of the mother's skepticism of education highlights not only how her education failed her, but how African Americans do not feel included or comfortable within the education system at all. Each of these parties is disappointed with the teachings they receive in school and sees them as a primary point of discrimination against African Americans.
ReplyDeleteHi Sasha, I particularly enjoyed the Black Arts Movement and many of its political messaging, which is in contrast to other movements like modernism that were focused on being apolitical. I liked how you interpreted how black poets were arguing that black identity should be defined by black people. I believe that much of African American Literature is doing just that, trying to define what being African American is.
ReplyDeleteHi Sasha! I like the metaphor you used of the Black Arts Movement being a "vehicle" for the values included in the Ten-Point Program. I definitely agree the Black Arts Movement helped to spread the ideas that defined Black Power and the Black Panther Party. Although some artists may have communicated the specific ideals differently, there was an overall message of Black empowerment and Black pride. Overall, great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Sasha, I like your point about how members of the BAM and Black Panthers were much more overtly political than previous generations. "For Black Poets Who Think of Suicide" is a great example of this change, as it (like the Black Panthers) encourages Black artists to pursue self-determination by producing this overtly political work and becoming the "trumpets of Black warriors." It's also clear in your writing how the Black Arts Movement and the Black Panthers were able to influence and amplify each other's messages as a result of their common goals. Great post!
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