Black Power

noun

, (sometimes lowercase)

1. the political and economic power of Black Americans in solidarity, especially such power used for achieving social equality.

Black Power

noun

1. a social, economic, and political movement of Black people, esp in the US, to obtain equality with White people

Black Power

1. A movement that grew out of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Black Power calls for independent development of political and social institutions for black people and emphasizes pride in black culture . In varying degrees, Black Power advocates called for the exclusion of whites from black civil rights organizations. Stokely Carmichael, one of the leaders of the movement and the head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), stated: “I am not going to beg the white man for anything I deserve. I'm going to take it.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of Black Power¹

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70

Example Sentences

Observers are watching for the new Black power players in Washington.

From Slate

The ’60s and ’70s looked, on balance, like an era of progress to many on the left, but the women’s rights movement, the post-Stonewall gay rights movement, Black Power, the Chicano movement, and the American Indian Movement looked very different to those on the far right, and they became nightmare fuel for a very different horror show.

From Slate

As Brooklyn White-Grier wrote in a 2023 CNN explainer, “In the middle of the Black Power era and feeding from the civil rights movement, 'Soul Train' provided a fresh opportunity for Black people to see and celebrate themselves. It was the most prominent stage displaying the mingling of sociocultural and political progress — and an imagining of life unencumbered by white supremacy.”

From Salon

Sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos staged a silent salute to Black Power by raising their Black-gloved fists on the victory stand.

From Los Angeles Times

Maddie can’t even sell her own car without her soon-to-be-ex-husband’s signature; Cleo lives largely under the thumb of her gangster/club owner boss, played by Wood Harris, who combines Black Power rhetoric with a ruthless command of the city’s numbers racket.

From Los Angeles Times