Content description:
The black power movement exploded on the scene in the 1960's. In its panoramic sweep, it gathered in human expression in all its forms: art, poetry, literature, politics, culture, music, fashion and violence. Its energy was directed against the dominant culture's system of governance and not a specific political party. On 17th June, 1966, Stokely Carmichael, the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), spoke at a rally in Greenwood, Mississippi, and argued for Black Power. Carmichael defined this as "a call for black people in this country to unite, to recognize their heritage, and to build a sense of community". Carmichael also advocated that African Americans should form and lead their own organizations and urged a complete rejection of the values of American society. Some civil rights groups such as the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) and Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), rejected Carmichael's ideas and accused him of black racism. The Black Panther Party organized in Oakland, in October of 1966, on the basis of Black Power.