BLACK POWER Definition & Meaning

Black Power

noun

(sometimes lowercase)

the political and economic power of Black Americans in solidarity, especially such power used for achieving social equality.

Black Power

noun

a social, economic, and political movement of Black people, esp in the US, to obtain equality with White people

Black Power

A movement that grew out of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Black Power calls for independent development of political and social institutions for black people and emphasizes pride in black culture . In varying degrees, Black Power advocates called for the exclusion of whites from black civil rights organizations. Stokely Carmichael, one of the leaders of the movement and the head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), stated: “I am not going to beg the white man for anything I deserve. I'm going to take it.”

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of Black Power¹

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Think Tommie Smith and John Carlos standing in silence, shoeless, gloved fists raised in a Black Power salute, during the 200-meter medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympics.

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Emotionally, the LP strikes a tone of cautious optimism that reflected the advances of the Black Power movement and the long-awaited end of the Vietnam War.

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There, in the Games famous for Black power protest salutes by track stars Tommie Smith and John Carlos from the medal stand, Foreman bloodied Lithuanian Jonas Cepulis, fighting for the Soviet Union, for 1½ rounds in the gold-medal heavyweight match, winning when the referee stopped the fight.

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She stood with her right fist raised and her head bowed – the black power salute.

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From there, it included references to the black power movement, imagery of a divided United States and, just before the finale, the line: "This is bigger than the music."

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