Communications and Media

The Black Power began as a radical movement intertwined with the Civil Rights Movement and the African-American culture in the 1960s to the 1970s. The Black Power Movement was a militant response to the social issues in culture including oppression, racism, prejudice, slavery, and so on. (Joseph, 8-9) According to McCartney, The Black Power Movement of the 1960s in the United States was seen by most of its advocates as the latest in a series of efforts to correct the injustices that existed in almost every dimension of life between black and white Americans (1).

Thus, the Black Power Movement symbolized radicalism or militancy against white supremacy and the African-American peoples struggles for cultural respect and equality. Since then, the Black Power has continually evolved with the unending changes in society and the societal structure. In modern times, the Black Power symbol is part of the Black popular culture. Many African-Americans have become involved in various causes for Black Power, symbolic of Black culture and the peoples struggles for recognition and equality, such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) or the National Urban League (Ogbar, 11). For others, Black Power as a popular culture is also a way of life, which led to modernized and liberal thinking especially for the younger generations that made the symbol suitable to contemporary culture.

The evolution of the Black Power symbol may be explored through a thorough discussion of Symbolic Interactionism (SI). SI may be defined as the study of social interaction which focuses on how people develop their concept of self through processes of communication in which symbols such as words, gestures and dress allow people to understand the expectations of others  (Watson, 34).  The understanding of meaning or messages conveyed in various symbols, thus, depend on the context within which the symbol was used. The socialization process through communication and interaction also determines how individuals perceive the meaning or message behind symbols. (Schnell, 75)  For the remaining sections, the Black Power symbol shall be discussed in order to determine how the use and meaning of the particular symbol has changed through time by integrating thoughts and concepts in SI.

The Evolution of the Black Power Symbol
As previously discussed, the Black Power emerged as a movement in the 1960s by African-Americans in the United States. Prior to the Black Power movement, the US was living in an era of white supremacy wherein society was ruled by a distinction of acceptance and non-acceptance among people based on gender, socio-economic status, and most especially culture. The white culture was the ruling culture, which imposed segregation in society within which rights and privileges were granted to the white people but denied from the African-Americans. For instance, black people were denied the rights to take a place in government even with ample support from the masses, to vote especially in the Southern territories wherein segregation is taken seriously, to obtain the same quality of education enjoyed by white people as schools for both cultures were kept separate, and so on. (Smith, 15)

One of the gravest forms of segregation, which will later be addressed by the US government through the development and implementation of anti-discriminatory laws, was housing segregation. The African-American people had no say about where they will be able to live and build their own houses, although majority of the black population actually distanced themselves from the white people. The unfortunate circumstances that the black people found themselves in were the harshest living conditions and they were denied of the facilities or amenities, and other housing privileges that the white people enjoyed. (Huttman, Saltman,  Blauw, 243). Housing segregation impedes black progress in employment and education. It is a cornerstone in maintaining the two societies, one black, and one white  separate and unequal (Huttman, Saltman,  Blauw, 243).

The unequal and discriminatory treatment of African-Americans however started to change with the Black Power movement, propelled by the Civil Rights Movement. The African-American people lobbied for the recognition of their civil rights and to see the end of white supremacy and segregation. Painter discussed that

During the Black Power era of the late 1960s and early 1970s, masses of African Americans  workers, intellectuals, artists  looked inward. They broke from the prevailing American mind-set of seeing black people as a problem and found beauty and value in blackness. Almost paradoxically, racial separation began to weaken in the 1970s, even as whites vigorously fought desegration (292).

The change brought about by the oneness in thought and unity among the African Americans solidified the meaning of the Black Power, not merely as a movement but also a symbol. The Black Power was a symbol of taking a stand against injustice as African-Americans started claiming their equal rights and privileges as same citizens with the white people. The Black Power was also a symbol of the African-American identity as it has led the way for the black people to embrace their culture and understand their personal identities, beliefs, perspectives, and ideologies from it. Most of all, the Black Power symbolized a new kind of thought or thinking  a liberal perspective that would eventually transform the structure of society. (Painter, 292 Fischer, 364-366)

Black Power meant black people defining themselves positively, regardless of what white people thought. Black Power turned African Americans away from American values, even away from American identity. The phrase Black Power antagonized most white people and dismayed many blacks Fundamentally, however, Black Power meant that African Americans would tend to themselves without paying heed to white people (Painter, 292).

Within the political context alone, the Black Power meant reforming the laws in the US in order to recognize the rights and privileges of African Americans. The result of the Black Power and the Civil Rights Movement was the development of Anti-Discrimination Laws during the 1960s to 1970s. The anti-discrimination laws are presented in Table 1 below.
Table 1
Anti-Discrimination Laws
YearLaw
1964

1965

1967

1968Civil Rights Act  outlawed racial discrimination in employment, in restaurants, hotels and amusement areas, and any bodies receiving government money including schools. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was set up to investigate complaints.
Voting Rights Act  stopped racial discrimination with respect to the right to vote
Supreme Court ruled that state laws forbidding inter-racial marriages were unconstitutional
Civil Rights Act (Fair Housing Act)  made racial discrimination in housing illegal. Source Smith, 16

The laws that were created due to the Black Power movement represent how Black Power symbolized the black peoples attempts to gain leverage over white supremacists. The Black Power was not merely a means to take a stand and call for change, but politically, it means that black people have gained the courage and the will to get into politics. Martin Luther King heralded the black peoples involvement in government, and also marked Black Power as the symbol of faith and hope.
An impressive demonstration of black unity and also white support was the March on Washington on 28 August 1963. More than 250,000 people, including 60,000 whites, marched through the capital to demand guaranteed civil rights for all. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, they heard Martin Luther King make an historical speech in which he repeated the worlds, I have a dream over and over again as he described his hopes for racial harmony  (Smith, 16).

Within another perspective, the Black Power also coursed a changed in peoples way of thinking. It seemed that the Black Power has liberated not only the minds of African Americans but other white people as well. Stokely Carmichael defined the Black Power as the start of liberal or non-traditional thinking. The Black Power encouraged African Americans not to let themselves succumb to white supremacy. Gone were the days when African American slaves and laborers would bow down to their fate determined by the force and dominance of the white people. Gone were the days of tolerance when African Americans silently slaved and labored without complaining and judging white people. Carmichael said, Our concern for black power addressed itself directly to this problem, the necessity to reclaim our history and our identity from the cultural terrorism and depredation of self-justifying white guilt (Carmichael, 76).

The primary question then would be, why, after all the years of slavery and injustice, African Americans would suddenly choose to participate in the Black Power movement. The theory of Symbolic Interactionism (SI) may be applied to explain how the change came about. SI is a theory in communication and sociology t that looks into the development of personality and perspectives based on social interaction. Symbolic interactionists focus on social interaction and related concepts of self-awareness reflexive thinking, symbols, and negotiated order Symbolic interactionists ask, How do involved parties experience, interpret, influence, and respond to what they and others are doing while interacting  (Ferrante, 36). Furthermore, the following concepts are some of the ideas or thoughts that symbolic interactionists consider in understanding how individuals establish their personality through social interaction.

Self-awarenessreflexive thinking the process of observing and evaluating the self from anothers viewpoint. During interaction, people interpret the actions, appearances, motives and words, of those with whom they are interacting. At the same time, they imagine how others view their actions, evaluate their appearance, attach meaning to their motives, and interpret their words.

Symbols physical phenomena (such as a word, an objective, a color, a sound, a feeling, an odor, a piece of jewelry, a gesture, or a bodily movement) to which assign a name, meaning, or value.
Negotiated Order the sum of existing and newly negotiated expectations, rules, policies, agreements, understandings, pacts, contracts, and other working arrangements.

Source Ferrante, 36-37
The shared experiences among the African Americans heralded the change in their perspectives and way of thinking. It should be noted that violence brought about by discrimination has increased alarmingly that African Americans began to wonder what it was about them that warranted such undeserved responses or reactions from white supremacists. Sentiments of fear, anger, resentment, and such bonded African Americans together leading to the development of the Black Power movement. Later on, symbols were attached to the Black Power cause including the following

The symbols above invoked images of strength and courageousness, of fighting back, taking a stand, and gaining power. Later on, the ideals and symbols that the Black Power movement represented would change given the circumstances in modern life. If during the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power represented the color of the African American people, today, it means success by an African American shared by his or her people.

Back in the day, black power was about the symbols, not the benjamins. Black leather jackets and black berets. Dashikis and towering Afros. Raised, clenched fists. Defiant shouts Black is beautiful Power to the people (Edwards, 188)

At present time, however, black power means succeeding for African Americans career-wise, and being present in various fields or industries, being patronized or idolized, praised and followed, and so on. Edwards (188-190) has discussed how the black power, as a symbol, changed from images of strength, courageousness, change, recognition and acceptance, political involvement, and so on, to success, fame, and widespread influence. Edwards (188- 190) emphasized how the African American mentality, at present time, include efforts to be recognized and to continually prove themselves to society. Little by little, African Americans have taken over various segments of society and fields of industries. Edwards (188-190) based her assumptions on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list in 2001 wherein 26 of the individuals listed were blacks.

Indeed, the Black Power at present time, symbolizes the African American efforts for integration to society, a modern means of abolishing age-old segregation and non-acceptance among white and black people. Now, African Americans are within the same playing fields as white people, able to teach, run businesses, work as CEOs or leaders in organization, influence other people through music, perform in liberal arts, and so on. Therefore, Black Power now symbolizes a way of life, in which society accepts African Americans without doubts and prejudices and acknowledges their knowledge, talents, and contributions to society.

One of the best examples stated by Edwards (188-190) was the high influence of African American music artists and performers to Americans, white or black. Furthermore, African Americans are widely visible in media outlets, such as the radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and so on. The increasing popularity and the familiarity of people to the African American culture, as conveyed in popular media, has changed the perspectives of people toward them. The Black Power is indeed symbolizing the power, success, and fame that African Americans may achieve alongside white people.

Based on the concept of SI, the change in the way that Black Power is perceived was also brought about by shared experiences and the influence of the external environment toward African Americans. It was true that the Black Power movement in the past sought to change the structure of society through the implementation of equal laws and the recognition of rights and privileges for African Americans. Now that people are more liberal and accepting of culture and that African Americans are most likely being provided with equal treatment, it has become time for the black people to move on and to look for various avenues to exhibit black power, by displaying their capabilities in terms of their knowledge, skills, talent, competencies, etc. (Samuels, 2008)

The more open interaction between the black and white people nowadays has also restructured Black Power within a different meaning of equality. If equality meant being awarded equal rights and privileges as granted by laws, at present time, equality means for African Americans to be able to show their capacity to rival the successes and achievements of white people. The best example for this would be the presidency of Barack Obama. Throughout Obamas campaign, historic events that have been painful to recall for African Americans were remembered and emphasized. The causes supported by Obama were also within the lines of racial or cultural acceptance and equality, and such. When Obama won the presidency, people and the media emphasized that Obama was the first black president of the US. The emphasis on the relationship between Obamas success and race meant how gaining equality through gaining success has been highly important to the African American people. (Samuels, 2008)

Overall, the primary difference between the Black Power symbol in the past and at present time was that African Americans sought for freedom and equal rights before. However, at present time, African Americans are looking into exercising or taking advantage of their freedom and rights in order to become successful, which represents modern Black Power.