Comments on: What Ever Happened to Black Power? (And Do We Care?)

By: hoodgirl

hoodgirl — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 23:03:16 +0000

Erykah X

You are young, gifted and black…in America…PRICELESS! Harness this ENERGY to continuously develop yourself to your own measure, not others! If you have not done so, please read “Seven Habits of Highly Successful People”…Peace and Love!

By: Patsy

Patsy — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 21:30:07 +0000

Erykah, I think it is great to see a teenager like you who takes the time to express herself in writing. Continue to educate yourself, you are on the right path!

By: Patsy

Patsy — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 21:23:44 +0000

I completely agree with what Shukurac wrote. I meet people among us who are twice my age (I am in my thirties) who never heard about Angela Davis, who don’t know what the glass ceiling is or never heard about the minstrels. As long as some of our people will choose to remain ignorant, it will be very difficult to have a strong movement like the Black Power.

By: Erykah X

Erykah X — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 07:36:36 +0000

sorry, I just noticed that I made a lot of mistakes, I missed a couple of words.

By: Erykah X

Erykah X — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 07:33:01 +0000

I am 16 years of age, and I am a senior in high school. Something that I have noticed throughout my high school journey is that many African Americans my age do not care about their history. My best friend had said to me one day,” whats the point, it’s not like I will repeat history” and I tried to compare a tree without roots to a child who does not know their history(as Marcus Garvey quoted) and we argued and argued, not understanding either points. It hurts for Hispanics to know their history and take pride in their home, for Asians to go visit their grandparents in Asia, and for whites to visit family in Europe. But it seems as if African Americans do not have a home, many of us only know English. We think of Africa as dirty place infested with diseases. Why are we so quick to not claim our home and to let the white men seem as if he is the answers to all of our African brother’s and sister’s problems, why can’t we be supportive as well? I remember Malcolm X once said that when he was young, he seen a picture of Africa, and the first thing that came to mind was what many Americans see. We desire to look just like the white men-dark skinned women bleaching their skin, and using chemicals in their hair. Black men being supportive of it. I have been trying to convince my mother for the longest to try a natural look, maybe an afro or maybe some nicely groomed dreads, and she said no, do you know why? because my dad don’t like when black women wear their natural hair, I am not even allowed to wear an afro outside of my home(sad right?). I just want blacks to be proud of being black, and understand that it is beautiful. There is probably more self hate in the black community than there is black pride. A of a white supremacy group even stated that there are more black-white supremacy groups than there are black supremacy groups. That is really sad.

By: shukurac

shukurac — Sat, 14 May 2011 00:49:11 +0000

Today’s Blacks are afraid to lose what gains they have made. Athletes and entertainers will not speak up about Black issues because they don’t want their owners to release them from their contracts. The advances we have made has essentially made many of us afraid of doing anything to ‘rock the boat’. Many think if we just trudge along we will eventually get there or that we have gotten ‘there’ already. Many don’t notice that the racism and prejudice has just become more covert, more subtle, so they buy into the ‘post-racial’ crap. If the current atmosphere with people like Trump doesn’t shine a light on this incorrect view, then we are in more trouble than I thought.

By: Frank

Frank — Thu, 12 May 2011 21:25:34 +0000

In my opinion black power has gone the way of the Jerri curl when you compare the 60s and 70s activism to today’s lack of any interest in the subject. I remember reading history about how many athletes like Ali and Ashe, and many entertainers fought in various ways for the plight of black people in America. They fought because these folks had celebrity status and the media would listen to them. Now days it seems like most people idolize pathetic and ignorant athletes, rappers, and gold digging women who are hungry for a reality show. These people don’t have any shame or pride in them. Even though Obama is the president there’s really no black power today.

By: Arthur Lewin

Arthur Lewin — Thu, 12 May 2011 17:26:39 +0000

Thanks for the meticulous, comprehensive review of Black Power. In the book, Black Activism, by Robert Brisbane, the author documents that Black Activism (Power) comes in waves about a generation or so apart. There was the Nat Turner rebellion and other revolts, in the 1830s, the 200,000 Black soldiers who fought in the Civil War, in the 1860s. There was the struggle to maintain Reconstruction a generation later, the New Negro of the 1920s, the militancy of the WWII era, and then the Civil Rights movement when Brisbane penned his volume. Since then there was the wave of consciousness in the late ’80s early ’90s that produced the Jackson campaign and the Rodney King and Crown Heights upheavals and then there is today with the recent election of a Black president. Thanks again for a great piece.