Rhetorical Analysis: Carmichael

Packed to capacity, the overwhelmingly White audience in Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium surely expected a more controversial speech than the one Carmichael eventually delivered. Despite, or maybe because of the controversy surrounding Carmichael and other SNCC members’ lengthy presence in Nashville and the fact that he was one of several speakers in a themed symposium, Carmichael chose to base his talk on his “Toward Black Liberation” article. Published a few months prior in the Massachusetts Review, the essay contained a detailed explanation for the need for African American self-determination, introduced the concept of institutional racism, and elaborated on the volatile coalitions upon which the few successes of the civil rights movement

However, as Jefferson’s description of his talk in Nashville illustrates, in order to further explicate his theoretical points through examples or anecdotes, Carmichael went well beyond the rhetorical. Using vivid illustrations that underlined some of his key arguments, he made sure that his large audience would stay both attuned and entertained. While he received some standing ovations and applause along the way, his talk went on without any major disruptions, apart from one minor incident at the beginning. Responding quickly with his usual witty manner, he responded to a student who unfurled a Confederate flag from one Memorial Hall’s upper balconies a few moments into his speech. Carmichael, who had just applauded Vanderbilt University for its commitment to uphold the First Amendment’s freedom of speech guarantee, ensured the protester that he fully supported the expression of his political views, “That’s alright as long as you don’t burn my

Critiquing the approach of prominent civil rights activists, who in his view were invested in a strategy of racial uplift that would only benefit a few selected African Americans, by largely upholding the racial and social status quo -- at the cost of the vast majority of Blacks in the country, whose situation was further deteriorating, Carmichael developed his more inclusive, grassroots oriented approach of black empowerment. Countering a politics of respectability that had proved ineffective in changing the hearts and minds of the great majority of Whites, Carmichael advocated a politics that centered on the interests of African Americans in a way that would end what he perceived as a vicious circle, the constant reliance on the fleeting goodwill of Whites. Informed by his own experiences in Lowndes County, Alabama, Carmichael advocated a strategy of local organizing that diverged from the civil rights movement’s narrow focus and dependence on the national Democratic Party. Instead of catering votes to the Democrats and hoping that they would make good on their promises, Carmichael argued that African Americans should form their own organizations. These would function as a power basis for future negotiations in the political realm. Coming together as a group would enable Blacks to