Why Black Power Is Still As Important As Ever!
Image via Neil Kenlock
When you search ‘Black Power’ on google, the first definition that you will see is “a movement in support of rights and political power for black people, especially prominent in the US in the 1960s and 1970s”. This definition understates Black Power as a whole. Making it seem minuscule in our political struggle. Black Power is more than a decade long movement. More than the catchy slogan coined by revolutionary Trinidadian leader Kwame Ture (formerly known as Stokely Carmichael). It is a way of life. A chant calling to a change in lifestyle. Leader and activist Kwame Ture defined the term as a call for unification. For us to “recognise [our] heritage, to build a sense of community”.
Strongly opposing everything Black Power stands for, the mainstream media often chooses to look at Black Power in the scopes of America and nowhere else. They perpetuate the idea that Black Power is a political struggle only existing for African-Americans. This only helps to further divide us and disconnect from one anothers fight for equality. With the media’s portrayal of a perfect Britain that is free from racism and an America which is the supposed home of all the world's racist monsters. It suggests that our fights as a diaspora don’t ever coincide, let alone have the possibility (or even necessity) to be fought together.
It is unbeknownst to many that Black Britons were graced with Ture’s appearance in the summer of ‘67 when he spoke in Camden about Black Power as well as the need for organisation. Ture’s visit was a result of the violent conditions racism had forced Black people to face after their arrival in Great Britain. Collectively pushed into run-down areas like Notting Hill and Brixton, the Black community found themselves coming together and standing up against the institutional racism they were facing. This resilience saw the British Black Panthers having around 3,000 members by the 1970s ; the majority of them based in the aforementioned areas. A popular hub for liberation and freedom was the Mangrove Restaurant in Notting Hill.
Across the waters in America, a sense of Black Power was also growing. Born in the aftermath of the assassination of activist Malcolm X, two young men were calling for control of their community along with monitoring the police activities that took place. Even further across the water, Afro-Latinx found themselves forming the ‘Movimento Negro Unificado’ (Unified Black Movement) - an organization formed in the 70s that used the arts to help raise racial consciousness among Afro-Brazilians. They protested and fought against the racial discrimination they were facing such as police brutality, inadequate education, and unfair housing conditions. The same fight their brothers and sisters in both America and Britain were going through.
The separation made between us as America is placed on a pedestal for Black Power is comic just as much as it is ironic. One of the first activists proudly calling for Black Power was Jamaican born Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey. Marcus Garvey reminded us that “a race without power ….. is a race without respect”.
All across the globe, we are constantly disrespected. The root being a lack of economical and political power. Everywhere in the world, we suffer from a sort of poverty that is not economical. We are impoverished psychologically and spiritually. Pride in self, pride in heritage, pride in us as a collective is a necessity.
Yes, it is necessary to not only focus on the bad but we would be fools to choose to live in bliss/in ignorance.Yes, we have achieved prominence and respect. We have received one award after another. The accolades are near unlimited. What good are these accolades if we don’t have power? If we can’t live a life free from exploitation. Live a life where we are truly free. We proudly proclaim that slavery ‘ended’ in the mid to late 1800s.
The fear many have for Black power lies in the deep understanding of what White power is. White power like capitalism is about dominion and control. Life under white dominion. Where European features is the beauty standard (why colourism is prevalent all over the world and not just Africa). Where white is good and great while everything non-white is bad.
Even back home, we don’t have power. To turn a blind eye to the injustices that occur there is just as shameful.
It’s easy for us to set up our mansions with our pools and hire house help. While we build our mansions, the food that fills the fridge is bought from a supermarket owned by Albanians. The fridge was bought in a shop owned by Lebanese. In the 21st century, Africa is not controlled by Africans. Presidents and other important government officials lay in the pockets of colonial powers like the United States, Britain, and Europe. With no love + genuinity for the people, Africans are exploited by their leaders who are busy upholding the traditions of a white capitalist society. Neo-colonialism is unfolding before all of us.This is why Black Power goes beyond the so-called ‘first world’ countries.
In current times, we must make sure to pay respect to the existing Black collectives growing in the UK and the individuals who make it their duty to empower us as a whole. Prominent entertainment platforms such as GRM Daily, SBTV, Boy Better Know, and Black Butter Label. The publishing collaboration, Merky Books, between Stormzy and Penguin Books which supports in allowing our voice to be heard - within a literature, a space not frequently dominated by us due to lack of accessibility and opportunity. The Black Curriculum was founded by Lavinya Stennett whose sole duty is to make Black (British) History a part of the wider national education system. Its current lack is intrinsically linked to the systemic racism Black students growing up. Rapper and activist Akala is always on mainstream tv willing to take the brunt as he educates on knife crime and systemic racism in Britain. Dues must also go to activists Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu and Reni-Eddo Lodge.
The sooner we look beyond the UK and at Black Power in relation to the diaspora as a whole, we will understand the urgency for its re-emergence today in the 21st century.
Power starts with being free and most importantly thinking for yourself. The revolution must begin within before anything else. We all must reevaluate the ideas we have about ourselves and see that the power is in ownership. The power is in having control over our finances and our education. The power is in supporting one another. The answer is clear the more you look back. Why did the Black Panthers frighten the American government so much? Why was a community restaurant like the Mangrove under surveillance of higher UK government officials? There is nothing more powerful than a united front - like the old age saying which tells us united we stand, divided we fall. There is always a strength in numbers. Each one, teach one.