General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: How do you feel about BLM protesters chanting "black power"? [View all]Xithras
(16,191 posts)The phrase was originally coined by the SNCC as a way to differentiate itself from King and the rest of the civil rights movement. Black Power adherents weren't looking to achieve justice or racial equality, but were part of a (now largely dead) black nationalist movement that preached black separatism, black self determination and an anti-white philosophy. The saying was born out of the African concept of nation building and liberation which was sweeping that continent as decolonization took hold. The original intent of the black power movement was simple: Kick the whites out of power, and put blacks in power. We don't want equality, we want control. It went as far as giving rise to the Republic of New Afrika movement in the late 1960's, which wanted to form a new black nation out of several southern states, secede from the union, and expel all whites. That particular movement lead to a number of violent confrontations and deaths before it faded away.
It wasn't a phrase that promoted equality, but division and conflict. Some people still associate it with those origins.
Over the last 40 years, the term Black Power has been watered down quite a bit, so most younger people now simply associate it with the African American civil rights movement and don't take any offense to it at all. It's simply seen as a sign of black solidarity and the fight for equality.
Whether someone finds it offensive is largely dependent on the era they became familiar with it. Many older people have serious problems with it, while most younger don't.
I'm not offended by it, but I do think there are better terms that could be used.
On edit: I just remembered a comment that a friend once made to me. He said that "Black Power" is the symbolic equivalent of the Dixie flag. The supporters of both will tell you that it represents pride and unity nowadays, and has no negative intentions. The opponents of both will tell you that the modern intentions are irrelevant, and that it's offensive because it was created to perpetuate racial hatred and conflict. They're very different symbols, but there are a lot of similarities in how the two are percieved and the reactions they receive.