Carmichael
and Hamilton Define Black Power, 1967
. . . The
adoption of the concept of Black Power is one of the most legitimate and
healthy developments in American politics and race relations in our time.
The concept
of Black Power speaks to all the needs mentioned in this chapter. it is a call for black people in this country to unite, to
recognize their heritage, to build a sense of community. It is a call for black
people to begin to define their own goals, to lead their own organizations and
to support those organizations. It is a call to reject the racist institutions
and values of this society.
The concept
of Black Power rests on a fundamental premise. Before a group can enter the
open society, it must first close ranks. By this we mean that group solidarity
is necessary before a group can operate effectively from a bargaining position
of strength in a pluralistic society. Traditionally, each new ethnic group in
this society has found the route to social and political viability through the
organization of its own institutions with which to represent its needs within
the larger society. Studies in voting behavior specifically, and political
behavior generally, have made it clear that politically the American pot has
not melted. Italians vote for Rubino
over O'Brien; Irish for Murphy over Goldberg, etc. This phenomenon may
seem distasteful to some, but it has been and remains today a central fact of
the American political system. . . .
The point is
obvious: black people must lead and run their own organizations. Only black
people can convey the revolutionary idea-and it is a revolutionary idea - that
black people are able to do things themselves. Only they can help create in the
community an aroused and continuing black consciousness that will provide the
basis for political strength. In the
past, white allies have
often furthered white supremacy without the whites involved realizing it, or
even wanting to do so. Black people must come together and do things for
themselves. They must achieve self-identity and self-determination in order to
have their daily needs met. . . .
It does not
mean merely putting black faces into office. Black visibility is not Black
Power. Most of the black politicians around the country today are not examples
of Black Power. The power must be that of a community, and emanate from there.
The black politicians must start from there. The black politicians must stop
being representatives of "downtown" machines, whatever the cost might
be in terms of lost patronage and holiday handouts.
Black Power
recognizes - it must recognize - the ethnic basis of American politics as well
as the power-oriented nature of American politics. Black Power therefore calls
for black people to consolidate behind their own, so that they can bargain from
a position of strength. But while we endorse the procedure of group solidarity
and identity for the purpose of attaining certain goals in the body politic,
this does not mean that black people should strive for the same kind of rewards
(i.e., end results) obtained by the white society. The ultimate values and
goals are not domination or exploitation of other groups, but rather an
effective share in the total power of the society. . . .