Black Power
...and help from the government, especially JFK, SNCC, and the whole black community began to make progress in the Civil rights movement (Appleby 746-751). Soon two men would make a drastic change in the movement with just a couple of words. It was in 1966 when a march in Greenwood, Mississippi led by James Meredith, Stokley Carmichael shouted “Black Power,” the new slogan began that draw in more supporters and soon began to use it for many different interpretations (Low 103-104). These two simple words combined transformed the black community and they only made the African-American community even stronger. As he gained support, his followers chanted “Black Power” along his side and the words quickly spread throughout the country (Low 103-104). As these words spread they made many in a wild uproar, including the white community. Carmichael used these words to his advantage and soon preached to his followers to “…call for black people in this country to unite, to recognize their heritage, and to build a sense of community."(Carmichael). His style of public speaking attracted many college students, and he soon found himself giving speeches at many different campuses because of his persuasive intellect (Williams). Carmichael believed that there were two types of racism overt and convert (Ture). He said that “convert” racism “wasn’t less overt but far more subtle and no less destructive of human life,” (Ture). In his speeches he referred to black people as being a colony, because it was as if White society was ruling their lives and not liberating them, he called this institutional racism (Ture). He told others to use violence if it was necessary and strayed away from the “non-violent” part of SNCC. On the other hand he also stated “I happen to believe that Black supremacy is as evil as White supremacy,” trying to seem neutral and not such a bigot towards whites (Ploski 231). Even though he and MLK were close on a personal level, he soon started criticizing some of his views concerning violence (MLK). As the movement progressed so did rising tensions in the South as well as in Mexico City. In 1968 the Olympic Games were being held in Mexico City, but Mexico wasn’t getting the support needed. A man named John Carlos along with Tommie Smith had their minds set on making a change. During the Games many African-Americans were showing their support of black power by running bear-foot and wearing tribal colored clothing (Dailey 405). They wanted to show their support of the movement and let people know how they felt. At the metals ceremony dressed in black, Carlos and Smith both stood with their heads down and in a Black Power salute while the “Star Spangled Banner” was playing (Dailey 405). In result they were banned from the national team, and their “pride” disgraced and outraged many Americans. When they arrived home they were given many threats and their actions were...