The Similarities Between Black Power And Black Nationalism

Black Power and Black Nationalism, created by Hamilton & Ture and Malcolm X, respectively, call upon African-Americans to make a physical, as well as vocal, stand against racism and white supremacy. Both ideologies stress the need of black people to unite under a single front, putting aside their differences to achieve political representation and change. African-Americans shouldn’t be afraid to respond to constant, unrelenting violence with violence- after all, “there can be no social order without social justice” (Ture & Hamilton, 1967, p. 53). Furthermore, the two ideologies believe that racism is persistent in the system and the structures of America, and that racism exists not only among white people, but has, to some degree, been internalized
Hamilton, pushes for black people to redefine themselves and use their inner power to defy the expectations held by (and ingrained into them by) whites. It says that equality and integration are words that have been misconstrued by white people for years, which leads to further inequality and less integration as, “it means black men wanting to marry white daughters” to white people (Ture & Hamilton, 1967, p. 37). To black people, on the other hand, “it has meant a way to improve their lives” (Ture & Hamilton, 1967, p. 37). This improvement comes through recognizing that blacks need not strive to become a part of the white, middle-class American ‘ideal.’ Black people can and should strive, not to integrate, but to gain equal footing on their own terms without “[giving] up their identity, [denying] their heritage” (Ture & Hamilton, 1967, p. 55). The improvement also comes through political power, gained by putting black politicians into office who represent the thoughts and desires of the black community. “It does not mean merely putting black faces into office. Black visibility is not Black Power” (Ture & Hamilton, 1967, p. 46). Black people deserve to have their share of representation in government as much as white people do. When this representation, both of faces and values, is achieved, systematic racism will decrease and black people will gain freedoms denied to them in the
5). Political participation and awareness of all kinds, in fact, receives greater stress in X’s Black Nationalist viewpoint. Voting allows black people to govern themselves, guide their own destinies, and form their own communities, separating them on their own, equal terms from the white community. “I think separation would get me freedom,” said X, referring to Black Nationalism’s goal of autonomy in the context of voting and moving apart from white people (X, 1964, p. 9). This is the key difference between Black Power and Black Nationalism- the desire for complete separation through means of political power (Black Nationalism) vs. the desire to rework and rebalance a system to the favor of black people using political power (Black