Movement of resistance · 1966–1982
Black Power
Movements asserting self-determination, community defense, and Black pride.
On the timeline
- June 6, 1966The Meredith March Against Fear
After James Meredith is shot beginning a solo march, movement leaders continue it — and Stokely Carmichael raises the cry of "Black Power."
- June 16, 1966The call for "Black Power"
Stokely Carmichael popularizes the slogan during the Meredith March.
- October 15, 1966The Black Panther Party is founded
Huey Newton and Bobby Seale form the party for self-defense and community programs.
- October 16, 1968The Black Power salute at the Olympics
Tommie Smith and John Carlos raise gloved fists in Mexico City.
- December 4, 1969COINTELPRO and the killing of Fred Hampton
Chicago police, acting on FBI COINTELPRO intelligence, kill the 21-year-old Black Panther leader in his bed.
Resources
Newton, Seale, and the Panthers' Ten-Point Program.
The roots of Black Power in Malcolm X, SNCC, and 1966.
The break-in that exposed the FBI's secret surveillance of Black activists.
The 1985 police bombing of the MOVE house — the only time a U.S. city bombed its own residents.
Archival history of the Panthers, including FBI/COINTELPRO infiltration.
The web
Connections to other moments, systems, and investigations — the links rarely drawn together.
- suppressed (incoming)·ArticleCOINTELPRO: The FBI's War on Black America
COINTELPRO's explicit goal was to prevent the rise of a Black "messiah" and destroy Black Power organizations.
- connects to (incoming)·PersonJames Brown
"Say It Loud — I'm Black and I'm Proud" became an anthem of the Black Power era.