New currents within the history of the Black Power movement are the focus of a conference organized by Prof. Simon Wendt, American Studies professor at Goethe University. Titled "New Directions in the History of the Black Power Movement", the conference will be held in English and is open to the public.
Friday, June 23, through Sunday, June 25,
Lecture Hall Center, HZ 14 (3rd floor).
Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 5
60323 Frankfurt
Black Power. The energetic slogan of a civil rights movement of African Americans dates back to the 1960s. Contrary to more moderate civil rights activists like Martin Luther King, it confronted the white population of the USA with a strong black self-confidence. Much research has been conducted on the history of the Black Power Movement in the past 20 years, and numerous studies have revised one-dimensional interpretations of the movement, exploring its roots, the significance of local organizing, African American women’s contributions, the movement’s political impact, and its radical internationalism.
Building on this foundation, this conference brings together a new generation of American, British, and German historians, who shed new light on the Black Power movement’s complex history. While some of their contributions revisit topics that have long been of interest to historians of the era—African American women, education, and the movement’s global impact—others open up new historiographical trajectories, including the role of religion, and collaborations between Black Power organizations and LGBTQ activists. Ultimately, the conference aims to make a contribution towards better understanding both the Black Power movement’s history and its legacy.