Topic 4.9: Debate This

"Was Black Religious Nationalism more influential than secular ideologies in shaping the Black Power Movement?"

Divide the class into two groups:

• Affirmative: Argue that religious nationalism was the cornerstone of Black Power.

• Negative: Argue that secular ideologies were more significant.

Developing Understanding 

Almost four hundred years have passed since the arrival of enslaved Africans to the United States. Within those four centuries, African Americans navigated a very long, and at times, seemingly impossible fight to achieve true equality. Unit 4 takes students from the post-World War II era to the modern day and seeks to help students understand how the experiences of African Americans culminated into what became the Civil Rights and Black Power movements in the United States. Unit 4 also explains how identity within the African American community once again transformed and shifted to reembrace its African roots. This period is witness to a resurgence in artistic expression that uplifted racial pride, economic empowerment, and the creation of political and cultural institutions within black communities.

As the nation moved into modern times, contemporary debates sprung up on issues that continue to impact the African American community. As Black leaders questioned “what needs to be done now?,” a generation answered the question by creating a musical, cultural, and political global phenomenon. Meanwhile, other black citizens assertively push for Black political power – ultimately culminating in the first Black president of the United States as well as increased Black leadership within different levels of federal and local government. Students should recognize the struggle both within the African American community and the nation at large on how to reconcile past and present inequalities, the resurgence of reparations debates, continued violence against people of color, and also the future contributions of Black Studies. 

https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/black-panther/index.htm

How do deal with extreme contrasting viewpoints.