RESEARCH PROPOSAL INNER-CITY REBELLIONS AND THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT

RESEARCH PROPOSAL

INNER-CITY REBELLIONS AND THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT

Melissa Teasley

HIST 420 - SEMINAR IN AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY

Dr. Teisha Dupree-Wilson

11/11/20

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF STUDY

In a speech in 1968, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. characterized the act of protest through inner city rebellions and rioting in the following way,

And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the Negro poor has worsened over the last twelve or fifteen years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity.

King’s words in this speech ego the sentiment of the Black Power Movement. In 1966, civil rights activist and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) leader Stokely Carmichael coined the phrase "Black Power" during the Meredith March Against Fear. Carmichael’s ideology and the Black Power Movement embodied many of the frustrations that African American activists had with the modern Civil Rights Movement. During the era of Black Power, the feeling of hopelessness of many African Americans manifested in several ways, including through participation in inner city rebellions. Martin Luther King, Jr. argued that the slogan “Black Power” insinuates violence, where the white man is warned against trampling on the black man. As such, King was involved in changing the phrase's meaning to contend for political and economic power (Joseph, 2006). King’s characterization of rioting and inner-city rebellion and “the language of the unheard" highlights the voicelessness that Black America was feel after repeated attempts to be heard on issues concerning racial equality, economic exploitation and poverty (Joseph, 2006).

During the 1960s, riots demonstrated that legislation failed to solve deeper, structural problems of racial inequality. The cause of urban riots normally stemmed from a number of issues including discrimination, poverty, high unemployment, poor schools, poor healthcare, housing inadequacy and police brutality. In some cases, these riots were a reaction to some of the pivotal moments and tragedies that occurred during the modern Civil Rights Movement. The 1960s produced riots in several cities throughout the country. Some of these riots include inner-city rebellion in [HERE YOU WILL LIST THE CITIES THAT YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO WRITE ABOUT – SUGGEST CHOOSING 4-6 RIOTS TO FOCUS ON]. Similarly, today’s racial climate has also produced riots and protests that address ongoing problems in Black America. [HERE YOU WILL DISCUSS THE CURRENT INSTANCES OF INNER-CITY REBELLION AND ISSUES THAT YOU WANT TO DISCUSS]. This study will examine the underlying factor that led to major riots, which occurred during the Black Power era. It will also reveal how many of the issues that caused riots during the Black Power Era still face the African American community today.

WORKING THESIS STATEMENT

The Black Power Movement in the 1960s American Society was an ultimate impetus in the radicalism that resulted in the revision of the American laws and the reduction in racial injustice. The riots, later defined as the unheard's language, brought to light the tribulations of the black community. Therefore, the movement was a stepping stone to equal rights and opportunities among the races living in the states. Segregation was slowly replaced with reverse segregation, and the revolution that birthed the recognition of the black man as an equal member of society was started. The Black Power Movement is hence a crucial moment in American Society. [WHAT ARGUMENT ARE YOU MAKING HERE REGARDING INNER-CITY REBELLIONS, THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT AND TODAY’S RIOTS AND REBELLIONS?]

THEORETICAL/PARADIGMATIC APPROACH

This study will use empirical and critical examples to evaluate the inner-city rebellions of the Black Power Era. This paper will also survey articles, books and primary sources to draw a correlation between riots of the 1960s and those that have materialized recently.

PAPER OUTLINE

I. Introduction

II. First City [THE FIRST RIOT YOU WILL DISCUSS] PHILADELPHIA COLUMBIA AVENUE RIOTS (1964)

III. Second City [THE SECOND RIOT YOU WILL DISCUSS] DETROIT RIOT (1967)

IV. Third City [THE THIRD RIOT YOU WILL DISCUSS] NEWARK, NJ RIOTS (1967)

V. Fourth City [THE FOURTH RIOT YOU WILL DISCUSS] RIOTS (1964-1968)

VI. Black Lives Matter (2013-Present)

[DISCUSS CURRENT INSTANCES OF POLICE BRUTALITY]

VII. Conclusion

VIII. Bibliography

IX. List of Figures [*pls INCLUDE PICTURES IN YOUR PAPER?]

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

[YOU NEED MORE SOURCES, AT LEAST 8 MORE]

Joseph, P. E. (Ed.). (, 2006). The black power movement: Rethinking the civil rights black power era. Taylor & Francis.The Black Power of the 1960s placed the Black community in a recognized position within the American Society. The radicalism established resulted in analysis and consequent revision of the state's laws, where most of the rules that placed the human rights of the white man above the human rights of the black were termed invalid. The black power movement addressed many discrimination issues in the country, among them the demand for reforms in the education sector, in prisons and rehabilitation centers, and job opportunities for the black man, and the end of racial injustice. In the education sector, they demanded community control of schools and introduced the black culture and black history in schools. Joseph, P. E. in his book, discusses the extent of the success, consequences and impacts of the Black Power Movements of the 1960s. The role it played in the black person's position in the American community is discussed at length. The role played by specific leaders, as Martin Luther King Jr. is as well explained.

Van Deburg, W. L. (1992). A new day in Babylon: The black power movement and American culture, 1965-1975. University of Chicago Press.Van Deburg follows the history of the Black Power Movement, since its inception by J. Meredith, and the impact it had on American Society. In his letter from Birmingham jail, Martin Luther had argued that the "non-violent, tension" by the black community in the fight for equal rights in the civil decorum was not to be termed illegal. Initially, it was argued that the black man hurt the social, economic, and political status by fighting for equal rights. Still, after the controversial letter, the perspective the nation had in the following riots changed. Martin Luther termed the riots a language of the unheard and demanded that those rioting should be protected from the police brutality as a result. Through the riots, they presented their demands, as that was the only platform for the blacks, hence the language of the unheard. This facilitated the Black Power Movement within the states, which ran with less interference from the government. Consequently, it became an eye-opener to the tribulations of the black community in the United States. This book addresses the impacts, successes, and consequences of the Black Power Movement of the 1960s.