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Difficulty: EasyThe Black Power Movement

Read the following excerpt from a list of demands issued by the Black Student Union at San Francisco State College in 1968:

'We demand a Department of Black Studies... that will be free to present classes that are relevant to the needs of Black people, staffed and run by Black faculty and students.'

Which of the following core principles of the Black Power movement is best demonstrated by this demand?

  1. A
    Seeking federal government funding and oversight to manage local community schools.
  2. B
    Prioritizing legal integration and assimilation into existing white-dominated institutions.
  3. Establishing institutional self-determination and community control over education.Answer
  4. D
    Promoting hostility toward other racial groups to achieve total isolation.

Answer

Establishing institutional self-determination and community control over education.
The demand for a Black Studies department that is run and staffed by Black faculty and students reflects the Black Power movement's emphasis on self-determination, institutional autonomy, and cultural pride. Rather than seeking assimilation into existing frameworks, the students sought to control the institutions that shaped their education.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the historical source to identify the core demand.
The students are demanding a Black Studies department that is staffed and run by Black faculty and students to serve their community's specific needs.
Understanding the source's focus is necessary to connect it to broader historical movements.
2
Connect the demand for self-run educational programs to the ideologies of the post-1965 civil rights era.
This demand represents a desire for autonomy, self-determination, and the establishment of independent Black-led institutions.
This links the specific action (the student strike) to the larger philosophical goals of the Black Power movement.
3
Select the option that matches the concept of self-determination and community control.
The option stating 'Establishing institutional self-determination and community control over education' is correct.
It directly aligns with the Black Power movement's emphasis on autonomy and self-reliance rather than integration or external oversight.

Key Concept

The Black Power Movement
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Topics

The Black Power Movement

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