During the 60's many black power movements appeared, one of the biggest group was the Black Panthers. The Black Panthers are often remembered as a violent group who caused trouble for the police by following them around protecting the arrested when or if it was necessary. However the Black panthers were much more than that, they ran free morning breakfast programmes for children, offered free clothing and helped transport families to and from the prisons for visiting hours, as well as starting the Sickle cell Anemia research programme, which is an organization to help create treatments for the disease. The Black Panthers were about a lot more than just hassling the police, they were about human rights, yes they did use violence as a form of self-defense, and yes they took on a very militant like style, but they were ultimately a lot more than that.
The Black Panther party came up with a ten point programme for what they wanted, everything in this programme seems like basic human rights today, nothing they demanded was unfair or unrealistic. 1. We want freedom. We want power to determine the destiny of our Black and oppressed communities.
2. We want full employment for our people.
3. We want an end to the robbery by the capitalist of our Black and oppressed communities.
4. We want decent housing, fit for the shelter of human beings.
5. We want education for our people that exposes the true nature of this decadent American society. We want education that teaches us our true history and our role in the present-day society.
6. We want completely free health care for all Black and oppressed people.
7. We want an immediate end to police brutality and murder of Black people, other people of color, all oppressed people inside the United States
8. We want an immediate end to all wars of aggression.
9. We want freedom for all Black and poor oppressed people now held in U.S. federal, state, county, city and military prisons and jails. We want trials by a jury of peers for all persons charged with so-called crimes under the laws of this country.
10. We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, peace and people's community control of modern technology.
(Wheeler, B. (1999)
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"(Wheeler, B. (1999) the above quote was said on March 1972 about point number 10, The party didn't want to overpower the white community, just like they didn't want to be below the white community like they have been for so many years, they were about being equal with the white community, not equal and segregated, equal and free.
2. We want full employment for our people.
3. We want an end to the robbery by the capitalist of our Black and oppressed communities.
4. We want decent housing, fit for the shelter of human beings.
5. We want education for our people that exposes the true nature of this decadent American society. We want education that teaches us our true history and our role in the present-day society.
6. We want completely free health care for all Black and oppressed people.
7. We want an immediate end to police brutality and murder of Black people, other people of color, all oppressed people inside the United States
8. We want an immediate end to all wars of aggression.
9. We want freedom for all Black and poor oppressed people now held in U.S. federal, state, county, city and military prisons and jails. We want trials by a jury of peers for all persons charged with so-called crimes under the laws of this country.
10. We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, peace and people's community control of modern technology.
(Wheeler, B. (1999)
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"(Wheeler, B. (1999) the above quote was said on March 1972 about point number 10, The party didn't want to overpower the white community, just like they didn't want to be below the white community like they have been for so many years, they were about being equal with the white community, not equal and segregated, equal and free.
As the Black Panther party spread throughout the US figure heads started supporting the movement, on the left is an image of athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos supporting the Panthers party nationally at the 1968 Olympic medals ceremony. This image reached thousands of people worldwide, making the iconic Black salute known and recognised. Although the two athletes were regarded as heros with the majority of the world watching not everyone was so pleased; " During what is usually referred to as the Black Power salute of the 1968 Olympics, the two athletes were booed and forced out of the Games by the president of the International Olympic Committee at the time, Avery Brundage" (Haddow, J. (2012).
Sweet sweetback's baadasssss song directed, written and acted by Melvin Van Peebles, took the US black community by storm. Peebles first made his name directing French films, however his dream was to break Hollywood, he got offered the chance to work under Hollywood studios but he turned it down. Peebles had had the Sweetback's film in his eyes for awhile and decided to make it independently, he came across a lot of problems such as lack of funding, he also insisted that 50% of his cast and crew be of the minority groups, this only added to his problems as many of his crew would get arrested as the police force assumed that they had stolen the expensive camera equipment. Aswell as this, his lead actor was banned from appearing in the film, leaving Peebles know choice but to play the lead himself. Peebles son also appeared in the movie as Sweetback as a young boy. The opening scene was deemed extremely controversial and still is to this day. The implications of the scene deconstructed and re-created the old stereotype to a new one, that all black men, whatever there age were good in bed. This can be seen as a form of empowerment towards black men, however many critic's have said it demoralises the black male as a sex object. One of the reasons for this opening was to through off the censorship, Peebles pitched it a soft porn movie so it would slip under the radar of the panel. However this limited his audience as only two cinemas agreed to show it, the movie only became popular due to the Black Panther party, one of the members saw the film, understood the implications and underling messages of this on the service silly film and then made it a requirement of the Black Panther party to go see it.
Yes I do personally think that the Blaxploitation films can be seen as a source of empowerment towards black people, however I believe that within trying to break away from the old stereotypes assigned by the whites, they have created a whole new group if stereotypes which can be seen as equally demoralising.
Yes I do personally think that the Blaxploitation films can be seen as a source of empowerment towards black people, however I believe that within trying to break away from the old stereotypes assigned by the whites, they have created a whole new group if stereotypes which can be seen as equally demoralising.
Bibliography-
Wheeler, B. (1999) The Black Panther Research Project. Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/group/blackpanthers/index.shtml
Haddow, J. (2012) We Interviewd Tommie Smith about the 1968 Black Power salute. Retrieved from http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/the-story-behind-the-1968-salute
Peebles, M, V. (1971) Sweet sweetbacks badass song [Motion picture] USA: Yeah
Wheeler, B. (1999) The Black Panther Research Project. Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/group/blackpanthers/index.shtml
Haddow, J. (2012) We Interviewd Tommie Smith about the 1968 Black Power salute. Retrieved from http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/the-story-behind-the-1968-salute
Peebles, M, V. (1971) Sweet sweetbacks badass song [Motion picture] USA: Yeah
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