black nationalism

What We Want, What We Believe (1966)

1946-1989, Authority, Black, Consciousness Raising, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Imperialism, Institutions, Sabotage/Ecotage, Strike, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, White Supremacy

The Black Panther Party’s 10 Point Program, or formally, “What We Want, What We Believe,” served as a set of demands drafted by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. This program/document served as the founding document and primary list of grievances posited by the Black Panther Party. It had many calls to action for societal change. These included, but were not limited to: a call for educational reform, housing reform, reform of the judicial process, and reform of employment biases. This served as an extremely disruptive foundational document, primarily through points 7 through 10 in their violent calls to take up arms. In these points, the Black Panther Party was calling for a disruption of the previously established authority. They advocated for their followers to take up arms and occupy public spaces in order to become monitors of freedom and independence for the Black community. In short, this was a manifesto charged with creating uncivil disobedience to ensure a more responsive, more representative society for the Black communities.

We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace. And as our major political objective, a United Nations-supervised plebiscite to be held throughout the black colony in which only black colonial subjects will be allowed to participate, for the purpose of determining the will of black people as to their national destiny.

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Germantown Quaker Petition Against Slavery (1688)

Authority, Black, Consciousness Raising, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Institutions, Pre-Modern, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, White Supremacy

This petition served as the first official written protest of slavery in the new world. While it is not a direct rebellion, or call for physical action, the petition and German Quaker organization critiqued slavery for its moral violations of Christian ethics. More accurately, this petiton can be viewed as a call for collective reflection rather than collective action on the issue of slavery in British North America. Because it was only passed along through Quaker governing bodies, this document failed to bring about much driect or disruptive action. It did however, set quite the precedent for future abolitionist movements. While the immorality argument against slavery seems to be a common theme in abolitionist movements now, this petition was the first time morality was utilized to spark a change in social structure.

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Sonthonax Abolition of Slavery (1794)

1700-1830s, Consciousness Raising, Date, Privatization, Self Institution, Tactics of Disruption, The Workplace

On August 29, 1793, Léger-Félicité Sonthonax, civil commissioner of the northern part of the French colony Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti), issued a decree that formally abolished slavery forever in his region of the colony. This proclamation, which was seemingly the first of its kind, created a snowball effect that eventually led to the National Convention’s official Feb 4, 1794, decree abolishing slavery throughout all of the French colonies. Used initially as a tactic for securing the colony for French control in the face of British invasion and colony-wide slave revolt, Sonthonax can easily be credited with paving the way for early calls for the abolition of slavery, and was a primary initiator for the French being one of the first countries to formally abolish the institution of slavery throughout all of their provinces and colonies. What began as a “small” political action in the northern region of a colony with a very large slave population established one of the most disruptive chains of events for the abolition of the institution of slavery.

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“Ain’t I A Woman” (1851)

1840-1945, Black, Consciousness Raising, Date, Defining the Enemy, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, White Supremacy, Women

Sojourner Truth was a prominent American abolitionist, speaking out primarily for African-American civil rights, women’s rights, and alcohol temperance. In this speech given at the Akron, Ohio, Women’s Convention in 1851, Truth was a pioneer in demonstrating the dual burden Black women faced. Seeing as this demographic was facing both deep-rooted racism and sexism, she, in this speech, attempts to describe the potential for disruption that these women had. It was also very important to Truth to legitimize the rights of Black women. She describes how, at this dawn of women’s rights activism, White women were given more legitimacy in the eyes of men, but Truth is disrupting preconceived conventions by asking, “And ain’t I a woman?” While in this era of abolitionism, we primarily focus on the civil rights of the enslaved, we regularly forget that in this period, early calls for the equal rights of women were beginning to emerge. Truth, makes sure that we don’t forget the demographic that was affected by both of these movements, Black women.

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The Liberator’s Salutation (1831)

1700-1830s, Black, Consciousness Raising, Date, Strike, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption

The Liberator served as one of the most disruptive calls for abolition that existed in the Civil War era. In circulation from January 1831 to December 1865, this newspaper was primarily published by William Lloyd Garrison, and in this “Salutation” that was issued in the first print, we can see the primary purpose for the paper, and the radical, disruptive measures it was looking to make in order to abolish slavery. Using incredibly provocative language, Garrison, with this “Salutation,” was successful in his continuous call(s) to action. Newspapers, such as the Liberator, were extremely effective forms of disruption in the way(s) that they were able to spread awareness and validation for the ever increasing abolishtionist movement.

My name is “LIBERATOR!” I propose
To hurl my shafts at freedom’s deadliest foes!
My task is hard—for I am charged to save
Man from his brother!—to redeem the slave! 

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Black Liberation Will Put a Stop to the Klan, the Nazis & Killer Cops – John Brown Anti-Klan Committee (n.d.)

Defining the Enemy, Self Institution, Tactics of Disruption, White Supremacy

This source discusses the ongoing struggle against white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan and Nazis. It highlights acts of resistance, such as Black and anti-Klan demonstrators who fought the Klan and police in the streets, successfully forcing the cancellation of a planned march in Washington, D.C.. The document calls for building a movement that opposes white supremacist violence from groups like the Klan and Nazis, as well as from police, emphasizing the need to support the Black Liberation Movement and defend revolutionary organizations. Grounded in the historical fight for liberation, the source advocates for struggling for land and independence for a Black nation and forcefully states, “DEATH TO THE KLAN AND THE NAZIS!”

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Why We Support Black Nationalism – John Brown Anti-Klan Committee (n.d.)

Defining the Enemy, Self Institution, Tactics of Disruption, White Supremacy

This document explores the concept of Black Nationalism, asserting its historical roots in the struggle for Black empowerment and self-determination in the United States. It highlights the economic disadvantages faced by Black Americans despite their historical contributions and labor. The text also touches upon the legacy of Malcolm X and the ongoing relevance of Black liberation movements, emphasizing the need for Black control over resources and political power. The author suggests that achieving genuine democracy requires addressing these historical and ongoing inequities.

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Malcolm X Liberation University: Collection of News Articles

1946-1989, Black, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Institutions, Subjectives of Refusal, White Supremacy

In October of 1969, the Malcolm X Liberation Univeristy was founded byHoward Fuller and other prominent Black activists. The creation of the university was inspired by Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism, of which Malcolm X was a prominent leader, hence the name of the university. The university was in North Carolina, and lasted until 1973, because of its difficulty to recieve funding due to its political nature. This document is a collection of various newspaper articles regarding the university.

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