Police Injustice: The Black Arts Movement

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occurrences of police injustice (J-Jon). One of the most important lyrics in this song is where he asks what makes African Americans so different from Caucasian Americans. If we are truly equal, then causing harm to another innocent person should be punishable, regardless of your skin. However, this is not what has occurred, because the same police men killing innocent people every day due to misconceptions, still get to go home to their families every night. Like Hughes, J-Jon used his voice to address racial issues affecting the day to day lives of many African Americans worldwide.
The Black Arts Movement was another very influential period for African Americans. Taking place from 1960 to 1975, this period heavily addressed social and political …show more content…
African Americans everywhere were still fighting for equality and protesting against civil rights, by participating in sit-ins, freedom rides and marches, battling the integration of schools, and voting rights (Black History Milestones). African Americans no longer waited for change, they demanded it. They stopped looking to prominently white prejudice institutions to solve their problems, and instead chose to make a change for themselves. The Black arts movement began with Amari Baraka, who sought to transform African American culture. This social activist and stylist proudly wore the garments of his homeland, while transforming the aesthetic of his people. Following Malcom X’s assassination, Baraka established the Black Arts Repertory Theatre/School (BARTS), to train black individuals in “the black arts” (Benston, 535). This school’s students motivated others to reinforce their demands for freedom, pushing activists, civil rights leaders, and adults to fight even further for sociocultural …show more content…
However, his work stands out because he metaphorically connected his personal life as well as the lives of everyday African Americans in many of his pieces. Baldwin is widely known for his intersectionality. Being a black, homosexual male in poverty, he was able to demonstrate an understanding of the black male community in the midst of whites (Benston, 392). In his essay “The Discovery of What It Means to Be an American”, James writes about his personal discovery of his true identity. Unhappy with the mistreatment of African Americans as well as homosexuals, Baldwin moved to Paris, France. “Once I was able to accept my role – as distinguished, I must say, from my “place” – in the extraordinary drama which is America – I was released from the illusion that I hated America” (Baldwin). Baldwin left for France in hopes for inspiration in a place where he knew there wouldn’t be any racial tension, allowing him to find a new source of inspiration as both an individual and an artist. He thought he hated America, until he left and actually had time to analyze his attachment to his nation. This realization shows Baldwin that his that his future rests solely upon him, regardless of what has happened in the
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