The Black Arts Movement : An Overview

The Black Arts movement was the only American literary movement to advance "social engagement" . The Black Arts Movement, although hard to put a date on, began around 1965. The event that pretty much triggered this was the assassination of Malcolm X. African Americans looked up to him much like Martin Luther King; however, he didn't receive as much recognition as King. In his eulogy he was described as "our shining black prince" and at the funeral, friends took the shovels from the gravediggers and began burying him themselves. They did not realize the floodgate his death was about to open. Following his death, large amounts of black activist groups began making powerful strides and declarations. LeRoi Jones, a poet, activist, and teacher began working with other black activists and artists, and founded the Black Arts Repertory Theatre/School (BART/S) in March, 1965. After the Voting Rights Bill and the Civil Rights Movement were effectively ended, "Black Power" began. It became an official social movement in 1966. Black Power was much like the Black Arts Movement in that it was set into motion long before it officially had begun.

The Black Arts movement was an inspiration. It gave African Americans the courage to write what they wanted, buy what they wanted, and read what they wanted - whenever they pleased. Many great writers are associated with this time period, including Steve Cannon, Tom Dent, Nikki Giovanni, Ishmael Reed, Larry Neal, Adrienne Kenney and John Alfred Williams. The Black Arts Movement was such a great influence because it gave writing its own kind of diversity, which it was so lacking before the movement. The Black Arts Movement also gave poetry a completely new meaning. Poetry was now "real" and "deep". When reading poetry from the Black Arts Movement, you pick up on the realism and sense of self that had developed.

Between 1975 and 1976, the historical Black Arts Movement ended. The source that I referred to for much of this blog entry states that the Black Arts movement ended in 1976 due to the hiatus of the Broadside Press. Also, the Journal of Black Poetry ceased publication, and in April of 1976 Black World was shut down by its publisher, John Johnson. After 1976 the Black Arts Movement was still present, but not nearly as much of a social focal point as it had been previously.

By: Mia