THE POSTMODERN MOVEMENT | BY: BEN FINFROCK

May 11, 2020

In the beginning of the 2010s, discussions of civil rights and the continued oppression of black Americans made headlines again as the Black Lives Matter Movement gained momentum. The movement was founded after several high-profile acts of violence and police brutality against unarmed black people.

In 2012, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot in Sanford, Florida by a “neighborhood watch” volunteer named George Zimmerman. After Zimmerman’s acquittal, “#BlackLivesMatter” was created on social media by three black queer activists named Opal Tometi, Patrisse Cullors and Alecia Garza. In 2014, mass protests erupted in Ferguson, Missouri after the shooting death of Michael Brown Jr. and a grand jury did not charge the police who shot him. The Black Lives Matter Movement was heavily involved in Ferguson after Brown’s death and the protests following the acquittal of the police officers. After Ferguson, protests erupted across the country as people called for an end to police brutality and the oppression of black people. All protesters across the nation chanting, “Black Lives Matter!”

The Black Lives Matter movement is a direct continuation of the Black Panther Party’s activism. Like the Black Panthers, they found their purpose in fighting against police brutality and promoting ideas of black power and pride. They also stood against the institutional racism that has become a part of American society and government. They fought for social programs to benefit Black Americans for the injustices that have been brought upon them throughout history.

Many historians and commentators have written about the Black Lives Matter Movement as a larger continuation of the human rights movement that the Black Panthers started. Both movements spread across the country to protest against police and their methods of policing. They also both fought to address the social, political and economic inequalities that exist today because of centuries of discrimination against black people. Much like their predecessors, the Black Lives Matter Movement was not afraid to use violence.

The Black Lives Matter Movement was led by young black leaders who were concerned about the institutional racism that exists today. Patrisse Cullors, one of the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter movement, acknowledges the impact of the Black Panthers on her new movement. Cullors says, “(The Panthers) made ‘black’ a word to be proud of… Their legacy is about challenging a narrative that our black lives don’t matter, that actually what is true and honest is that we know best what we need to live our lives” (Weise).

The young leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement, similar to the Black Panthers, formed charter groups across the country and even gathered on college campuses. Many Black Lives Matter activists began and ended their meetings by reciting lines from Assata Shakur’s autobiography. Shakur was a famous Black Panther activist who lived in exile in Cuba. The lines from her autobiography they site say:

“It is our duty to fight for our freedom.

It is our duty to win.

We must love each other and support each other.

We have nothing to lose but our chains” (Weise).

The Black Lives Matter Movement also relied on many of the same provocative protests and symbols that the Black Panthers used. Professor Sherie Randolph of the University of Michigan calls this type of protesting “Street Theater.” She cites examples of Black Lives Matter activists interrupting political rallies and black women marching naked down the streets of San Francisco chanting “Say her Name” in remembrance of black women killed by police such as Sandra Bland. These provocative protests are directly influenced by the Black Panthers who marched through Sacramento openly carrying weapons.

Much like the Black Panthers, Black Lives Matter also brought about a resurgence of black power and black pride. Both movements advocated for black people to embrace their identity and past. Author Peniel E. Josephwrites about the promotion of black power in both of these movements in an article for the New Republic. Joseph writes how the original black power movement led by the Black Panthers brought about the creation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month, as well as the creation of black world studies at many universities. 

However, Joseph does state the Black Lives Matter Movement brought about new ideas of black power that were more inclusive and intersectional in order to embrace the full complexity of black identity. While the Black Panther Party involved women in their organization structure and had female leadership, such as Elaine Brown, they still practiced patriarchal and discriminatory views of gender roles. As Joseph writes, “But BLM has moved beyond many of the blind spots and shortcomings of its predecessors, embracing the full complexity of black identity and forging a movement that is far more inclusive and democratic than either the Panthers or civil rights activists ever envisioned.” The Black Lives Matter Movement made direct connections between the struggles of black people and other marginalized groups such as women and LGBTQ+ people. Much of the reason for this comes from the fact that many of the founders of Black Lives Matter are queer black women. Black Lives Matter activists also called for a deeper look into how black people are oppressed in all areas of society and government such as environmental policy, healthcare, jobs and even the tax code. Black Lives Matter covered many areas and issues that were not recognized by the Black Panthers and they embrace the intersectionality of the black identity. 

Also, much like the Black Panther Movement, the Black Lives Matter Movement sparked an expression of black power and pride through music and art. A famous example of how the Black Panther movement inspired the expression of black pride in music was James Brown’s “Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud.” This song was revolutionary at the time of its release in 1968 because it was a powerful statement about Brown’s pride in being unapologetically black. The song encouraged black Americans to take pride in their heritage and be confident in their own skin.

Today members of the Black Lives Matter Movement continue to express their black pride through musical protests. Rapper Kendrick Lamar has made direct references in his music to both the Black Lives Matter Movement and the Black Panthers. In one of his most famous songs, “Alright,” Lamar discusses the long history of oppression faced by black Americans but acknowledges that they will win this fight and be alright. Lamar’s “Alright” became a prominent protest song for the Black Lives Matter Movement and protesters even sang this song at many of their gatherings.  

Superstar Beyoncé has also made reference to the Black Panthers in her performances and music. Her 2016 visual album “Lemonade” made heavy references to the Black Lives Matter Movement and quoted leaders such as Malcom X. However, during her 2016 Super Bowl performance of “Formation” Beyoncé made a direct reference to the Black Panthers in order to spread her message of supporting the Black Lives Matter Movement and fighting police brutality. She and her dancers wore black leather leotards and her dancers dawned black berets. This was a direct reference to the Black Panther’s uniform. During the performance Beyoncé and her dancers even did the solute of the Panthers by making fists in the air.

The struggle for justice and equality presses on America. In 2019, statistics from the National Academy of Sciences found that “Black men are about 2.5 times more likely to be killed by police over the life course than are white men. Black women are about 1.4 times more likely to be killed by police than are white women.” With these numbers in mind, the work of the Black Lives Matter and Black Panther Movements must continue on until the day where black people are given the same rights and privileges as white people.