Stokely+Carmichael+-+F08



Stokely Carmichael

Background Information: - Originally born in Trinidad and Tobago - Leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) - Honorary Prime Minister of the Black Panthers - Graduated from the Bronx High School of Science which had a very rigorous entrance exam (gifted school) - Graduated from Howard University (historically back college) - Arrested so many time that lost track (about 32)

Political Reforms: - Very influenced by Malcolm X - While he was in Lowndes County (place of creation of the Black Panthers) the number of black voters rose by 2,000 - Coined the “black power” movement after march with MLK - Atlanta Project- voter project to promote the candidacy of a black for Georgia legislatures - Rejected whites from participating in the movement while asking that they create their own groups supporting black rights - Wanted to integrate African Americans into middle class society - Strongly opposed to the Vietnam War and made trips to other countries making lectures about his point of view - Distanced himself from the Black Panthers because they had opposing views on whether or not whites should be allowed in the organization - After exiling himself to Guinea condemned the Black Panthers for not being separatist enough - Good friend of Guinea Prime Minister Ahmed Sekou Toure and Kwame Nkrumah (later changed his name to Kwame Ture in their honor) - Arrested in Guinea after Toure died for suspicion that he was attempting to overthrow the govt. - In his final interview he coined the phrase “institutional racism” which he defined as "the collective failure of an organization to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their color, culture or ethnic origin"

Resume:

My name is Stokely Carmichael and I am fighting for the rights of African Americans. Not to be confused witht the practices of Martin Luther King Jr. I am fighting more for the black people of this nation to gain voting rights and have a sense of black pride amongst our community. I was first inspired to come into this movement after hearing of the sit-ins in North Carolina. My reaction to seeing what was going on there filled my with fire and inspired me to join the Civil Rights Movement. Almost immediately I became involved in many organizations for example the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Commitee which I became the leader of.

As a child I was very well educated. I graduated from the highly acredited Bronx High School of Science which involved passing a rigourous entrance exam. After that I attended the well known black college Howard University near Washington, DC. What this taught me was that an education was most important and led me to cut my ties with the Dukes gang. After being inspired by the sit-ins I participated in the Freedom Rides while at Howard University. My somewhat radical views led many older generation civil rights leaders and organizations such as Martin Luther King Jr. and the NAACP to reject some of my views.

My occupation began as the leader of the SNCC and later rising to the honorary prime minister of the Black Panthers. My sole purpose was to secure the freedoms that African Americans deserved. I eventually exiled myself to Guinea due to my disagreement with the Black Panthers party over whether or not whites should be allowed in the organization. I strongly believed that whites should form thier own groups to support our movements.

Some references that I have in the would include Malcom X, Bobby Seale, and Prime Minister Ahmed Sekou Toure. Malcom X is a friend becuase we share some of the sme views on the advancement of black rights and I was heavily influenced by his works. Bobby Seale is another reference because he founded the Black Panthers which I later became the prime minister of. Finally Prime Minister Toure is a reference because when I was exiled in Guinea we became very close friend until his death.

Sources:

1. Kaufman, Michael. "Stokely Carmichael". The New York Times Company. December 21, 2008 .

2. "Stokely Carmichael Biography". Notable Biographies. December 19, 2008 .


 * 3. "Stokely Carmichael". Spartacus Educational. December 21, 2008 .