Protest Literature: Sending a Message in the Turbulent Sixties
Sometimes referred to as the Second Reconstruction, the 1950s and 1960s was an era of dramatic social change. Ushered in by the experiences of WW2 and the post-war boom, African-Americans saw these decades as an era in which to re-assert their rights and share in increasing prosperity. The autobiographies of many activists draw upon the narrative structure of war memoirs to appeal to a wider contemporary audience and depict their experiences as brave people fighting for just causes. Modern scholars also raise the issue of dealing with racism as analogous to a form of psychological combat. Some more militant authors lean towards the manifesto as a symbol of asserting their identities and refusing to compromise with injustice. The cultural institutions which support political organizing generate further study on the role of religious community in African-American life. Both in legal matters and literature, there is a strong emphasis on Plessy vs. Ferguson and the 14th Amendment, as debates about "equal protection", "due process", and "separate but equal" shape the time period. Minority groups throughout the country make efforts towards recognition and equality under the law, which are formative events in defining the ideals of civil rights and civil liberties.
Civil Rights literatures are writings about movements for civil rights and civil liberties in the United States. More commonly, it is considered to be narratives of the Civil Rights movement for African Americans during the period of the 1940s to 1960s; culminating in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1965 and shocked by the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. This literature is grounded in religious theology, legal theory, and sociology. Historians and politicians position these two leaders in a hero/ antihero framework, despite some of their shared goals and positions. Together they contend with the rhetoric of segregation laws, the separatist trends of social activist movements, and competing definitions of liberation. As their activism is overshadowed by historical focus on male leadership, women's autobiography of their experiences during these movements becomes a powerful tool for communicating a feminist perspective.
As declared by Larry Neal in his 1968 essay 'The Black Arts Movement', the Black Arts Movement is the artistic and cultural output of the Black Power Movement. It seeks to embody the 'Black is Beautiful' expression of racial pride. Its confrontational style and purpose use militant rhetoric and aesthetic, especially the manifesto. Women also use the genre as an outlet for their activism that receives less attention than their male counterparts. Inspired by the artistic and creative production of the Harlem Renaissance in its ability to create distinctly African-American art, the Black Arts Movement similarly makes skillful use of poetry and theater. This era later becomes influential on the spoken word genre/ Also drawing upon the protest poster culture of the Black Power Movement, it creates a creative space in visual art as well.
-
Black Liberation Theology
-
ethos
-
nonviolent direct action
-
prison literature
-
war memoir
Representative Texts
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Written by Alex Haley from conversations with the Black leader over a period of two years before his death."In this searing classic autobiography, originally published in 1965, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and Black empowerment activist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Human Rights movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American dream and the inherent racism in a society that denies its non-White citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time.
Invisible Man by ISBN: 9780679723134Publication Date: 1989-04-23
Why We Can't Wait by Call Number: 323.1196 K53WMartin Luther King's classic exploration of the events and forces behind the Civil Rights Movement-- including his Letter from Birmingham jail, April 16, 1963.
-
art manifesto
-
Black Aesthetic
-
Black Power
-
literary nationalism
-
Marxism
Representative Texts
Africobra by Call Number: 704.9 J37aAFRICOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists) was a multidisciplinary collective of black artists who created socially conscious art in Chicago during the Black Arts Movement of the 1960's and 1970's. Artists Wadsworth Jarrell, Nelson Stevens, Jae Jarrell, Gerald Williams, and Napoleon Jones-Henderson produced textiles, paintings, sculpture and public art that sought to develop an aesthetic language that resonated with the black community. AFRICOBRA's abstract works convey the rhythmic dynamism of black culture and social life, while the structure of the collective offered a model of artistic practice embedded in the political realities and histories of the community.
Black feeling, Black talk, Black judgement by Call Number: M 811.54 G512BISBN: 9780688252946Fifty-three poems by the young Negro authoress reflect varied facets of the Black experience in America
Revolution in Our Time: the Black Panther Party's Promise to the People by Call Number: 323.1196 M211rISBN: 9781536214185In this comprehensive, inspiring, and all-too-relevant history of the Black Panther Party, Kekla Magoon introduces readers to the Panthers' community activism, grounded in the concept of self-defense, which taught Black Americans how to protect and support themselves in a country that treated them like second-class citizens. For too long the Panthers' story has been a footnote to the civil rights movement rather than what it was: a revolutionary socialist movement that drew thousands of members -- mostly women -- and became the target of one of the most sustained repression efforts ever made by the U.S. government against its own citizens. Revolution in Our Time puts the Panthers in the proper context of Black American history, from the first arrival of enslaved people to the Black Lives Matter movement of today.
Catalog Search
Books
Media
