black culture
Cultural Milestones
The assassination of Malcolm X, eloquent exponent of black nationalism, in 1965 in New York and the espousal of “Black Power” by previously integrationist civil rights organizations such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) helped to galvanize a generation of young black writers into rethinking the purpose of African American art. Rejecting any notion of the artist that separated him or her from the African American community, the Black Arts movement engaged in cultural nation building by sponsoring poetry readings, founding community theatres, creating literary magazines, and setting up small presses. In 1968 poetry, fiction, essays, and drama from writers associated with the movement appeared in the landmark anthology Black Fire, edited by Baraka and Larry Neal. One of the most versatile leaders of the Black Arts movement, Neal summed up its goals as the promotion of self-determination, solidarity, and nationhood among African Americans.
A cultural movement conceived of and promoted by Amiri Baraka in the mid-1960s. Its constellation of writers, performers, and artists included Nikki Giovanni, Jay Wright, Larry Neal, and Sonia Sanchez. “We want a black poem. And / a Black World. / Let the world be a Black Poem,” writes Baraka (then LeRoi Jones) in his poem “Black Art,” which served as a de facto manifesto for the movement. Its practitioners were energized by a desire to confront white power structures and assert an African American cultural identity. Its aims were community-minded as well as artistic; during its heyday, hundreds of Afrocentric repertory theatre companies, public art projects, and publishing ventures were organized throughout the United States.
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The postwar years was the era of the integration of America's professional sports. Jackie Robinson, Althea Gibson, Bill Willis and others became household names. Black movie stars made had significant cultural milesones during the decade, while television appearances remained typed and relatively rare. Music, particularly rock and roll, had a unifying influence on the youth culture of America. The postwar era coincided with congressional anti-Communism investigations, and black writers and performers were investigated for having expressed sympathy for an ideological that did not tolerate racism.
One of the most important figures in the Black Arts Movement is Amiri Baraka (formerly LeRoi Jones). Following the assassination of Malcolm X in 1965, LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka) made a symbolic move from Manhattan's Lower East Side to Harlem, where he founded the Black Arts Repertory Theatre/School. |
Slogans like “Black Is Beautiful” and “Black Power,” as well as jazz and soul music, became the soundtrack for works by painter Murry DePillars, mixed-media artist Ben Jones, and muralist Dana Chandler. Jeff Donaldson, a cofounder of the Chicago-based black artist collective Afri-Cobra, not only added to this milieu with his own African textile-inspired, mixed-media works, but he wrote influential art manifestos and helped organize international expositions of black artists in Africa and North America.
However, it was not just a movement in terms of art, literature and music. It was also a movement with self pride. Contrasting the previous manners of African Americans, straightening their hair and copying white styles, the Black community began holding pride in themselves for who they truly were. Hair remained afro, black fashion and mannerisms were reinforced. The Black Arts movement helped to give black people a true sense of identity - accepting their differences and embracing them.
However, it was not just a movement in terms of art, literature and music. It was also a movement with self pride. Contrasting the previous manners of African Americans, straightening their hair and copying white styles, the Black community began holding pride in themselves for who they truly were. Hair remained afro, black fashion and mannerisms were reinforced. The Black Arts movement helped to give black people a true sense of identity - accepting their differences and embracing them.