Read the following excerpt from Stokely Carmichael’s 1966 essay 'What We Want':
'For too many years, Black people have been told that if we are just patient, if we just use nonviolent methods, the hearts of white people will change. But the structures of white supremacy do not have hearts to change. They must be met with political and economic power, and the right to defend our communities must be recognized.'
Based on the excerpt, which of the following best explains Carmichael’s critique of earlier civil rights strategies?
- It argues that appealing to the moral conscience of white society through nonviolence is insufficient for dismantling systemic white supremacy.Answer
- BIt rejects nonviolent direct action because it represents a form of passive surrender and compliance with segregationist laws.
- CIt proposes that Black Americans should abandon the domestic civil rights struggle and instead emigrate to build independent nations in Africa.
- DIt advocates for aggressive, retaliatory armed violence to establish Black supremacy and permanently exclude all white allies.
Answer
Carmichael critiques earlier civil rights strategies by arguing that appealing to the moral conscience of white society through nonviolence is insufficient for dismantling systemic white supremacy.
The correct answer accurately captures Carmichael's critique of the psychological/moral focus of early civil rights strategies. By asserting that 'structures of white supremacy do not have hearts to change,' Carmichael argues that nonviolent appeals to white moral conscience cannot dismantle systemic oppression. Instead, he advocates for structural tools: political power, economic organization, and community self-defense.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
The philosophical debate and strategic transition in the Civil Rights Movement from nonviolent moral persuasion to structural political power and armed self-defense.