Black Liberation Movement Essay

The Black Liberation Movement was a long-lasting political movement that occurred in the United States of America during the 1960s and 1970s. This period was marked by African Americans fighting for their rights and wanting to be equal to white Americans. African Americans were not treated fairly during this time and were consistently oppressed. Other marginalized groups experienced similar oppression. These movements relate to each other because they are marked by the need for power and the government using an overarching issue as reasoning for oppressing certain groups.

Need for Power An excessive need for power over certain groups of individuals is a prominent theme shared between the Black Liberation Movement and the movements of other

This occurs when the oppressor demobilizes and separates the marginalized group. This was prevalent during the Black Liberation Movement. Any protestors that were considered violent were arrested. This movement for incarceration was put in place to prevent further protests or riots, thereby controlling the actions of the oppressed collective. Not only does it prevent protests, but it also decreases the sense of power an individual holds. The arrest of Angela Davis was a significant power play. This move was simply made to disengage her supporters and to send a message that even the leaders can be defeated. The importance of the collective cannot be underestimated. As Davis puts it, “I did not see myself accomplishing anything important as an individual” (CITE DOC). When the group is separated, it is harder for a plan of action to be put in

The American Indians appealed their case to anyone who would listen in order to gain as much support as possible for the Free Leonard Peltier Movement. They shifted their movement from being more individual-focused to being more collective-focused by making it about general American Indian activism (CITE ARTICLE). This created a sense of community with everyone fighting for the Red Power Movement thereby increasing the manpower that the movement had. More activists equals more noise which then leads to more attention toward their movement especially from people who were unaware of the movement. This was accomplished by identifying their movement, creating a need for justice, and finally, making the call to action. The identification and justice aspects of this were established when it was said, “Leonard Peltier is a political prisoner. . . He was convicted by an all-white jury for a crime he did not commit, the murder of two FBI agents. But as we will see, Peltier was tried and convicted because he was an American Indian leader struggling to defend the rights and lands of his people” (CITE ARTICLE). This quote demonstrates how the American Indian activists effectively gained the support of non-American-Indian audiences. They framed their message in a way to implement an intense need for justice in these other audiences to benefit their cause. As