On July 20, 1967 the first Black Power Conference was held in Newark, New Jersey. The National Conference on Black Power was the first formal large-scale gathering to discuss issues that affected the Pan-African community. The Conference was a three-day (July 20 to July 23, 1967) gathering that focused on the oppression that Africans experienced and the possible solutions. More than 1,000 delegates representing 286 organizations and institutions from 126 cities in 26 states, plus Bermuda and Nigeria attended the 3 day Conference. Organizations involved included the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP,) The Urban League and the Organization of Afro-American Unity.
Many younger African Americans were disenchanted with the “non-violent” movement which saw Africans brutalized by White police and White civilians alike. The images on television of African American men, women and children brutalized by White police, bitten by police dogs and cheered on by White civilians was a regular traumatizing sight. These images were also broadcast internationally yet the American government was slow in addressing these atrocities and some African American leaders were satisfied in continuing with a “non-violent” resistance. Others were “not having it!” Fed up with the continued brutalizing and even killing of African American men, women and children there was a shift in the thinking of how to confront the continued White supremacist attacks against unarmed African Americans.
Many younger African Americans were disenchanted with the “non-violent” movement which saw Africans brutalized by White police and White civilians alike. The images on television of African American men, women and children brutalized by White police, bitten by police dogs and cheered on by White civilians was a regular traumatizing sight. These images were also broadcast internationally yet the American government was slow in addressing these atrocities and some African American leaders were satisfied in continuing with a “non-violent” resistance. Others were “not having it!” Fed up with the continued brutalizing and even killing of African American men, women and children there was a shift in the thinking of how to confront the continued White supremacist attacks against unarmed African Americans.
The Conference was chaired by Dr. Nathan Wright, Jr., (an Episcopal minister) who published "Ready to Riot" in 1968. Dr. Wright thought that integration was "an insult on its face" because of the implication that the worth of African Americans was determined by the presence of White people in their lives. He preferred to see the empowerment of African Americans. In 1967 Dr. Wright said that “Black Power” depended "on the capacity of black people to be and to become themselves, not only for their own good, but for the enrichment of the lives of all." He also felt that: "People who are members of a majority group, however sympathetic they may be with those who are oppressed, can never fully identify themselves with the oppressed."
The “Black Power” movement encouraged African Americans to speak out and fight for empowerment. Many African Americans felt that this was the way to achieve justice. African American artists, athletes, intellectuals and politicians joined the movement, including heavyweight champion Muhammed Ali. On April 28, 1967, Ali refused to be inducted into the armed forces on both religious and political grounds. On June 20, 1967, Ali was convicted of draft evasion, sentenced to five years in prison, fined $10,000 and banned from boxing for 3 years.
The “Black Power” movement encouraged African Americans to speak out and fight for empowerment. Many African Americans felt that this was the way to achieve justice. African American artists, athletes, intellectuals and politicians joined the movement, including heavyweight champion Muhammed Ali. On April 28, 1967, Ali refused to be inducted into the armed forces on both religious and political grounds. On June 20, 1967, Ali was convicted of draft evasion, sentenced to five years in prison, fined $10,000 and banned from boxing for 3 years.
The “National Conference on Black Power” included workshops and lectures for participants to create solutions to the escalating issues that plagued Africans. The workshops and presentations focused on strategies to support African American control of their environment. Participants developed more than 80 resolutions emphasizing Black power in political, economic, and cultural affairs. Coordinators of the workshops were African American activists including Florynce “Flo” Kennedy, Ossie Davis, James Farmer, Hoyt Fuller, Nathan Hare, Maulana Karenga, Cleveland Sellers and Chuck Stone.
The Black Power Manifesto was the official document that came out of the Conference. The Manifesto condemned “neo-colonialist control” of African populations and called for the circulation of a “philosophy of Blackness.” The document cited historical Pan-African movements, work and activists including the Honourable Marcus Mosiah Garvey and Garveyism. The Manifesto demanded the end of “neo-colonialist control” of African populations across the globe and the promotion of a “philosophy of Blackness.”
The Manifesto is reproduced in full in the 1977 published book “Black Separatism and Social Reality: Rhetoric and Reason” edited by Raymond L. Hall. The appendix of the Manifesto states: “Black people who live under imperialist governments in America, Asia, Africa and Latin America stand at the crossroads of either an expanding revolution or ruthless extermination.” That still holds true today in the 21st century with the number of Africans in North America who are regularly killed by police who suffer no consequences.
Following the 1967 Conference, other conferences were held in 1968 and 1969. The conferences supported the growth of Black Power organizations and activism that flourished well into the 1980s and included the anti-apartheid movement. In the 21st century supporting activists who protest anti-Black racism and work to dismantle White supremacy is very important to our survival. The activism of groups and individuals led to the United Nations declaring 2015-2024 the International Decade for People of African Descent (http://www.un.org/en/events/africandescentdecade/background.shtml) with the recognition that: “Whether as descendants of the victims of the transatlantic slave trade or as more recent migrants, they constitute some of the poorest and most marginalized groups. Studies and findings by international and national bodies demonstrate that people of African descent still have limited access to quality education, health services, housing and social security.”
The Manifesto is reproduced in full in the 1977 published book “Black Separatism and Social Reality: Rhetoric and Reason” edited by Raymond L. Hall. The appendix of the Manifesto states: “Black people who live under imperialist governments in America, Asia, Africa and Latin America stand at the crossroads of either an expanding revolution or ruthless extermination.” That still holds true today in the 21st century with the number of Africans in North America who are regularly killed by police who suffer no consequences.
Following the 1967 Conference, other conferences were held in 1968 and 1969. The conferences supported the growth of Black Power organizations and activism that flourished well into the 1980s and included the anti-apartheid movement. In the 21st century supporting activists who protest anti-Black racism and work to dismantle White supremacy is very important to our survival. The activism of groups and individuals led to the United Nations declaring 2015-2024 the International Decade for People of African Descent (http://www.un.org/en/events/africandescentdecade/background.shtml) with the recognition that: “Whether as descendants of the victims of the transatlantic slave trade or as more recent migrants, they constitute some of the poorest and most marginalized groups. Studies and findings by international and national bodies demonstrate that people of African descent still have limited access to quality education, health services, housing and social security.”
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