OAH Magazine of History
Volume 22, No 3
July 2008

Copyright ©
Organization of American Historians

From the Editor

Black Power

Phillip Guerty

This issue of the OAH Magazine of History examines the Black Power movement and, in so doing, brings to light new perspectives not only on Black Power, but also the broader context of the civil rights movement and the social, political, and cultural changes in the 1960s and 1970s. As guest editor Peniel Joseph notes, “Black Power represents one of the most important social, political and cultural movements in the twentieth century” and “permanently altered the contours of American identity, citizenship, and democracy.” In presenting this new view, Joseph has provided a wide range of provocative feature articles combined with practical teaching strategies. His introduction provides an excellent framework for teachers and students by pointing out the stereotypes usually associated with the Black Power movement versus the larger, more complex historical reality. He notes, for instance, that traditional scholarship has often painted the civil rights movement as “a moral and political good” and Black Power as “destructive, shortlived, and politically ineffectual.” Far from disconnected, however, the two movements often intersected and were part of a wide range of voices about change in the era of the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War.

Yohuru Williams continues Joseph’s insightful analysis of the Black Power movement by focusing specifically on the Black Panther Party (BPP)— arguably the part of the movement that was, and is, most visible in popular culture. As Williams notes, the distinctive dress and radical appearance of the group’s members often turned public attention to the violent aspect of the BPP at the expense of focusing on its goals, which, like the broader Black Power and civil rights movements, included fighting for economic, political, and social equality. In the teaching strategy, “Was Thomas Jefferson a Black Panther?” Williams gives teachers a way of demonstrating that the BPP not only had the same goals as the civil rights movement, but also shared notions of freedom not that dissimilar to the Founders. Veronica Burchard’s teaching strategy takes a similar approach by having students examine the way that revolution was justified by both members of the Black Power movement and by the “natural rights” thinkers of the eighteenth century.

Rhonda Williams brings an intriguing perspective to the issue by focusing on the role of women in the Black Power movement. This perspective is especially important given that more traditional approaches place women on the periphery of the movement or neglects their role entirely. As Williams argues, despite the clearly identifiable role of black women, “masculine images of Black Power dominated not only public attention in the late 1960s and 1970s, but also the history recalled, told and written about the era.” Williams’s teaching strategy does a masterful job of allowing students to realize the powerful role of women in the movement through works by such influential writers as Nikki Giovanni, Abbey Lincoln, and Fran Sanders. Williams then has students compare the ideas presented by each writer to the overall goals of the Black Power and civil rights movements.

This issue of the OAH Magazine concludes with a special feature by Mark Naison on teaching students to appreciate oral history through the use of Hip-Hop. Drawing on lyrics by Jay-Z and Fort Minor, Naison demonstrates how each artist “juxtaposes quotes from a parent, relative, or community member with original verses” that reflect on important historical events not only to the individual and family but also to the nation. Fort Minor’s “Kenji,” for instance, deals with the imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Naison also reminds us that students can find the tools to build historical knowledge not just in textbooks, lectures, or monographs but also through family stories and even in mp3s and on their own iPods.

Subscribers will want to also visit the bonus online content which includes historiographic essays by Yohuru Williams and Rhonda Williams; a review of Negroes with Guns: Rob Williams and Black Power by Hasan Kwame Jeffries; and a link to Peniel Joseph’s website which contains, among other resources, a video of Joseph’s recent lecture, “Rethinking the Black Power Movement.”

Thanks to Peniel Joseph and the other contributors for putting together such a fine issue and for continuing OAH’s mission of bringing new and important scholarly perspectives into history classrooms.