New currents within the history of the Black Power movement are the focus of a conference organized by Prof. Simon Wendt, American Studies professor a..
An in-depth look at the activities and ideology of the British Black Panther Movement in London, and the influence which the experiences of the American Black Panther Party had on them.
Discussion of the Civil Rights Movement often centers on the use of nonviolent civil disobedience. Yet, as historian Simon Wendt writes, the success of nonviolent protest by some groups, such as the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), depended partly on armed allies, such as the Deacons for Defense and Justice.
Wendt writes that CORE began in 1942 as an interracial group of idealists inspired by Mohandas Gandhi. It gained national attention in 1961, when it organized Freedom Rides. Young Black and white activists challenged segregation at bus terminals and through interstate bus rides around the South. In line with nonviolent strategies advocated by many civil rights leaders, beatings and bombings committed against the activists drove media attention and widespread sympathy for their cause.