Sunday, June 06, 2004

This day in hip hop/urban history



June 6, 1966 Stokely Carmichael launched "Black Power" movement.

The following taken from Spartacus Schoolnet:

On 5th June, 1966, James Meredith started a solitary March Against Fear from Memphis to Jackson, to protest against racism. Soon after starting his march he was shot by sniper. When they heard the news, other civil rights campaigners, including Carmichael, Martin Luther King and Floyd McKissick, decided to continue the march in Meredith's name.

When the marchers got to Greenwood, Mississippi, Carmichael and some of the other marchers were arrested by the police. It was the 27th time that Carmichael had been arrested and on his release on 16th June, he made his famous Black Power speech. Carmichael called for "black people in this country to unite, to recognize their heritage, and to build a sense of community". He also advocated that African Americans should form and lead their own organizations and urged a complete rejection of the values of American society.

For more information on Stokely Carmichael, check out:
Washington.Edu
Interchange.org
The Talking Drum
Blackbones

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