tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post1305788625756282944..comments2024-03-26T11:33:59.219-06:00Comments on Religion in American History: Violence, "the Religious," and Black PowerPaul Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881964303772343114noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-7978062609273013082014-08-01T14:35:51.089-06:002014-08-01T14:35:51.089-06:00Yes, that was my understanding as well. I am sure ...Yes, that was my understanding as well. I am sure there will be (at least) one post about the class this fall. We'll be starting in the antebellum era with David Walker, Maria Stewart, and nineteenth-century nationalists; spending some time with Garveyites, the Nation of Islam, and other forerunners of Black Power; exploring the many different (often conflicting) traditions of Black Power in the middle years of the 20th century; and ending with contemporary legacies (like hip hop and Black Studies). It is cross-listed with Religion and we'll be dealing with the messianic religious (under- and) overtones of black nationalism throughout.Matthew Cresslerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13071172216912668016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-49683146447409001202014-08-01T14:13:00.219-06:002014-08-01T14:13:00.219-06:00Exactly, that was the strange thing about it. Was...Exactly, that was the strange thing about it. Was asking my colleague Joe Street about the use of "black power" that early. Apparently it appeared here and there, but didn't take on the larger array of meanings it would have after 1966.<br /><br />Would love to see a post about how the course goes. Randallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16755286304057000048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-63268014265340076202014-08-01T13:44:50.136-06:002014-08-01T13:44:50.136-06:00Thanks Randall, both for the congrats and for the ...Thanks Randall, both for the congrats and for the article! I was not familiar with Motive and that essay looks like a must read - especially since I'm teaching a class on Black Power this fall. I'm also amazed that it was published in '64, a full two years before Carmichael famously called for "Black Power!" in Mississippi.Matthew Cresslerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13071172216912668016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-63767214788517933592014-08-01T12:03:02.298-06:002014-08-01T12:03:02.298-06:00A big congrats on finishing! I had no idea about t...A big congrats on finishing! I had no idea about this other side of Merton. Very interesting. <br /><br />I think you're right about why we tend to think of "black power" as secular. Maybe as a kind of oppositional, secular counter to the CR movement. <br /><br />This got me thinking about a very interesting essay I came across in Motive magazine while I was doing research at Concordia Seminary last November. Motive was published by the Division of Higher Education, Board of Education, Methodist Church, Nashville, TN. A range of activists and intellectuals published, including Martin Marty and Thomas Merton (on the failures of white liberalism). Andrew Young was on the editorial board.<br /><br />Here's a link to the music/social critic Nat Hentoff's October 1964 piece in Motive: "The Search for Black Power." I was struck by the early use of the term and also be the force of the argument. An argument that would grow and become stronger in the coming years. May use this in class in the future. <br /><br />https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/7722256/Hentoff_Motive_Oct_64.pdfRandallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16755286304057000048noreply@blogger.com