Creating Black Americans Essay

Chapter 14: The Impact of the Black Power Movement on African Americans' Lives

Black power movement and its impact on African Americans' lives are covered in Chapter 14 of the book. The primary contention of the author is that African Americans lost faith in American politics in the 1960s and sought to regain it by getting involved in politics. Reverend Martin Luther King's death "shook many people's faith in American democracy," according to one report. (317). African Americans began making independent political decisions by deviating from the consensus. For instance, "by the late 1960s, they had cast a million votes for George Wallace, the racist governor of Alabama" (317). It was obvious that they were choosing based on personal preference as opposed to who was supported by the majority. In addition, African Americans started participating in national politics to get representation too. For example, “black people began to enter the national political economy in unprecedented numbers” (317). The high number of people participating in the politics shows that African Americans had doubts about the political situation and they wanted to be involved to make the lives of black people better. Their only way of bringing change was by being part of the change process. African Americans were still fighting for fair treatment, and activists sought out new ways of fighting for the rights of black people by participating in politics. Their move was supported by the communities where “urban voters began voting black mayors and congressional representatives in unprecedented numbers” (317). Similarly, the number of voters increased from zero in 1964 to thousands in 1965. Their willingness to vote reveals that they were ready to make changes by venturing into politics. These “voters formed a Freedom Organization whose symbol was the Black Panther” (320). Through this, “the Freedom Organization held its own caucuses and ran its own candidates for County office in Alabama” (320). In the 70’s, African Americans were still active in politics, and the “Black Power Panther (BPP) became more politically radical” (323). BPP was one of the black power movements, and during the 70’s, it formed alliances with white people to enforce its political aspirations.

Chapter 15: The Hip-hop Era and Its Developments

Chapter 15 discusses the hip-hop era and the developments that occurred during this era. The author’s main argument is that African Americans were experiencing success for the first time after the era of segregation.

During the hip-hop era, “each week seems to bring the announcement of a black person’s heading a fortune company or being crowned Miss America” (349). In addition, “Black women, as well as men, rose to the top of the companies and institutions serving a broad range of people, non-black as well as black” (350). This era was characterized by success stories and opportunities that African Americans did not have before. They gained opportunities in education and employment since they had access to more jobs and college admission. This was made possible by the “fundamental changes in college admissions, hiring and promotion, and family wealth which facilitated individual success” (350). Moreover, African Americans got opportunities to serve in the office of the president. For example, “African American conservative became leaders in the administrations of President George W. Bush starting in 2001” (353). This was a positive development since initially African Americans hardly got appointed by the presidents for office and such opportunities were only reserved for white people.

Conclusion

Reading these two chapters has given me an insight into the history and development of African Americans. I have learned how African Americans rose to power and got positions in public offices. I have also learned how the black power movement pushed them to national politics as they worked on having their voices heard, and the success they experienced during the hip-hop era.