The Black Arts Movement
How the creation of a movement centered around black art and tradition influenced a culture in America
The Black Arts Movement was primarily a movement for cultivating black culture in America through art and performance. The assassination of Malcolm X was the event that jump started this movement; however, the movement was also heavily influenced by the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. Amiri Baraka created the Black Arts Repertory Theater and School in Harlem as an attempt to cultivate black art and culture within the city (Horowitz). The leaders of this movement, such as Amiri Baraka, Maya Angelou, Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikki Giovanni, and Larry Neal, were just as concerned with politics and activism as they were with creating a “black aesthetic” that challenged the norm of American tradition at that time.
The black aesthetic has been described as “a means of helping the black American out of the polluted Mainstream” (Smith 93). The primary focus of the “black aesthetic” was to create a voice and a dynamic presence for black Americans to resonate with and feel comfortable within. Larry Neal spoke of the connection of blackness and activism and aesthetic in the Black Arts Movement, “Black Art is the aesthetic and spiritual sister of the Black Power concept. As such it envisions an art that speaks directly to the needs and aspirations of Black America. […] One is concerned with the relationship between art and politics; the other with the art of politics” (Neal 446).
In terms of social and cultural influence, the Black Arts Movement created spaces for black Americans to create art and express themselves in their own culture. Black owned and operated publishing houses, theaters, magazines, and other performance spaces were being established in this time, but the influence didn’t stop at art (Horowitz). Black studies courses were starting to be integrated into schools across the country; however, due to their newness, the students felt they were lacking in substance (Fraser). In a New York Times article in 1969 titled “Negros at Cornell Call Black Studies Minimal,” several students voice their concerns for the emerging black studies programs. Of their concerns were the lack of publicity and advertising within the school of these classes, the lack of direction, and the fact that even though they were taught by black professors, the curriculum was still controlled by a white administration (Fraser).
There was also influence in fashion. Members of this movement revitalized traditional African clothing styles and patterns, as well as embraced natural hair. This was important in creating a culture specifically for black Americans to express themselves and feel comfortable within this community. Fashion took on another role in this movement in terms of protests. Black protesters were often encouraged to wear what was called “Sunday best,” which was just nice clothing that would be worn to church. The purpose of dressing up was to challenge the image of “angry protesters” and “thugs” that was commonly presented in the media. The influence of this movement was important in constructing a new black tradition in America that was created by black Americans, which challenged the normalize narrative white Americans had created for them.
Sources:
Fraser, Gerald. “Negros at Cornell Call Black Studies Minimal.” The New York Times. April 26, 1969.
Horowitz, Rachael. “Black Arts Repertory Theatre and School (BARTS) and the Black Arts Movement.” Black Power in American Memory. April 18, 2017. Web. http://blackpower.web.unc.edu/2017/04/black-arts-repertory-theatre-and-school-barts-and-the-black-arts-movement/
Neal, Larry. “The Black Arts Movement.” The Portable 60’s Reader ed. Ann Charters. 2003. pp 446–454.
Smith, David Lionel. “The Black Arts Movement and Its Critics.” American Literary History, Vol. 3, №1. 1991, pp. 93–110.
