#BlackLivesMatter: A Necessary Movement Or The Revival Of Violent Black Nationalism?

We Are Change

There have been many different social movements that have sparked controversy throughout the history of the United States. The recent #BlackLivesMatter movement has received plenty of time in the limelight, and now is a good time to evaluate its worth and impact.

This effort goes back to the Civil Rights movement (if not 1492), but for simplicity reasons let’s start in 1960s when we have three prominent African American protest groups: the nonviolent Christian followers of Martin Luther King Jr., the “ballot or the bullet” Muslim followers of Malcolm X, and the Marxist Black Panther Party who sought for their own country within America.

Not to put down any of these movements, but it is the intent of their actions which we should consider before we discuss how they connect to #BlackLivesMatter. For starters, Martin Luther King Jr.’s movement stressed working within the political system, whereas the Black Panther Party fought against the political system. Malcom X and Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam sparked a massive intellectual movement, but their influence was quickly subverted following X’s subsequent change of political ideology after his pilgrimage to Mecca and personal issues with Elijah Muhammad.

Each of these movements had leaders who were murdered or divided and conquered through various means. It is not specifically how these movements ended that is being discussed here, or any sort of justification for the murder of any political activist, but rather how they relate to the current #BlackLivesMatter movement.

Previous African American Movements And Their Intentions

Malcolm X was criticized for his constant comparison of white men to “devils” before changing his opinion during his pilgrimage to Mecca. In his autobiography (drafted by Alex Haley) he said that “…the collective white man had acted like a devil in virtually every contact he had with the world’s collective non-white man.” It’s important to keep in mind that X’s father was killed by being run over by a train. X blamed white supremacists for murdering his father in his autobiography.

Later on, X’s narrative changed to something more inclusive of all races: “The color-blindness of the Muslim world’s religious society and the color-blindness of the Muslim world’s human society: these two influences had each day been making a greater impact, and an increasing persuasion against my previous way of thinking,” referencing that his stance had changed and that there were factions of whites who were not racist. Malcom X had been known for his black nationalist ideology, but his evolving personality was murdered before it could fully be measured and assessed.

The Black Panther Party was an out-of-the-closet Marxist group that birthed a political revolution during the aftermath of the second Red Scare and was led by figures such as Bobby Seale and Huey Newton. The timing for their organization couldn’t have been any worse as far as American intelligence, eager to remove Communist influence, was concerned. It has been alleged by many sources that an FBI organization titled COINTELPRO even had several Black Panthers murdered. If we can confirm anything, however, it is that the FBI actively worked to “neutralize” them and all other black nationalists, according to a FBI document describing COINTELPRO’s intention with these groups:

 

Martin Luther King Jr., although concluded by a U.S. civil case to have been murdered by a group of conspirators, including the U.S. government itself, did not lobby for a separate country for blacks to be born in the United States. Nor did he advocate that young African American men and women should arm themselves with weapons, like Malcom X and the Black Panthers. Although Dr. King wasn’t a perfect man, he didn’t lobby for a communist or violent solution to civil rights matters. Violent and communist solutions to political issues were not popular among the USA establishment, as made clear in declassified COINTELPRO documents, which illustrate that white supremacists were also targetted by American intelligence.

It is important to note that none of these groups were overtly working for the destruction of the USA. Each of these organizations had a heart for their supporters and were simply looking to do what they believed was right. Historically, being part of an African American activist group requires that you not be afraid of political opposition, or death itself. However, the question now is which civil rights group(s) the #BlackLivesMatters spawns from.

Follow The Money, Follow The Rhetoric

When you go to the Black Lives Matter about page, it established that the movement “centers those that have been marginalized within Black liberation movements. It is a tactic to (re)build the Black Liberation movement.” The about page is also quick to use the adjective “black” when describing who their policies are concerning, meaning that the focus is solely on black lives, as the name implies. If the movement were to include other ethnicities, the wording would need to be changed.

The “black liberation movement” is a seperate term connected to the factions of black nationalist movement, black power movement, or Black Liberation Army, all groups who sought the empowerment of blacks, the release of all blacks from prison, and other things outlined in the Ten-Point Program proposed by the Black Panther Party.

Black Lives matter is also supported by several leftist organizations such as Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Black Left Unity, among others, as reported by Headlines Magazine. The Washington Times asserts that Black Lives Matters has received funding from leftist figures, including George Soros. Further funding of the Black Lives Matter movement has reportedly come from the Rockefeller family.

EXPOSED: Millions in corporate donations to #BlackLivesMatter – nothing given to the community https://t.co/sP9Zd7fx2w

— Jack Posobiec ?? (@JackPosobiec) April 21, 2017

Here in the following video, we can see Black Lives Matter Founder Patrisse Cullors openly calling for a violent revolution if she dies in police custody, asserting that her followers should “burn everything down,” among other heated profanity-filled statements.

(WARNING: Graphic language):

Therefore, we can safely conclude that the Black Lives Matter movement is a child of the black nationalist groups that commonly attribute their ideology back to the “by any means necessary” ideology first coined by Malcolm X and have since adapted their ideology to align with the circumstances of the present. Furthermore, since they are aligning with the “black liberation movement,” as stated on their website, it is difficult to conclude that this movement and it’s predecessors won’t rule out using violent methods of activism, much like the Black Liberation Army had done during the 70s and 80s.

If the goal of the new age of black activism is to ensure the equal rights of African Americans through nonviolent means, there is nothing wrong in their actions. If they seek to establish a violent revolution, as implied through their actions and rhetoric, they would be effectively waging a war against what could be the world’s greatest military superpower. If history repeats itself, this would result in the unnecessary loss of lives, whom could have instead continued their movement through respectful dialogue and debate.

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from We Are Change https://wearechange.org/blacklivesmatter-necessary-movement-revival-violent-black-nationalism/