IRR News has learnt that a university in the Midlands has stopped one of its student societies from using an iconic Black Power symbol on a poster advertising a Black History Month event at the university.
The society organising an event for Black History Month hit political censorship when posters designed for the event, which included the well-known Black Power clenched fist, were rejected by the university authorities as negative, unwelcoming and hostile. The university insisted that a more friendly image be used.
The Black Power fist symbolises radical movements in the 1960s and ’70s in the US and UK fighting state racism and oppression – a history rooted in thinkers and doers of the time such as Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael. The image is from Black history so one would think it should be considered appropriate for a Black History Month event! Let us know what you think.
I can’t believe that the university is doing this. the symbol is not at all unfriendly or distressing. it just reminds on a period of black history where people stood up for their own rights. and it is a part of black history as is the slavery. obviously the university don’t want to be reminded on the part of the black history where blacks fought for their rights. perhaps a victimising image of blacks would suit them better. students, don’t give up, it is your right what symbol you choose!
Outragious but not surprising in these very reactionary times we live in – fight da power!
Dear IRR, Thank you for producing these race updates. In response to this article the question I’d like to have answered by that Midland University is whether if the historic symbol was one of slaves shackled with chains, or black people in subservient postures etc., would that have been too negative for their senses? I believe that it is absolutely out of order that an institution for higher education should wish to censor historical facts. If it is too hard for them to look at it and accepts the reasons for it, how much harder do they think it was for people who had to endure the conditions that led to the need for such a symbol?
Looks like the same old fear this country always has towards black people….i’m not surprised one bit this country is and will continue to be racist.
As natural decendants of God for most of us, BLACK people do not because of the affect of slavery understand the things that we do. We can not feel our connection to our creator because we serve another God and have lost our black american culture as we knew it before “The Civil Rights” era. A culture of Family that included all classes because we were all one class and was a little more tolerant to individual difference. If I were in another country and I looked at television to defined Black people I would buy in to the impression that all black people were thieves, lazy, dancing, fighting and hollering fools. That is what most of us have bought into and belive about themselves. We no longer have anything to grab on to with the absence of the black family and even empowering words and symbols such as black and the black fist. We have gone to words like african american which has not feel or no meaning to me. I feel power when I say black. It is harder to say something with feeling and meaning with proper grammar that is why we have slang. I embrace the slang and apparently they do to because they eventual use and decredit us from all of our creations and they are even rapping and doing r&b these days soon that wont belong to us either. They have stripped us of all our accomplishments and everything about us or that make us feel good as a people. Only when we start serving our true God and stop asking for permission to have or do something that has always been ours never been taken then we will be free from mental slavery and financial oppression. Because without us there would be no them there would be no America.
What should we expect. We still celebrate Columbus day. They still lie to children in school that Columbus discovered America. When they abused the native Indians and took over the land that belongs to everyone that belongs to God. Jeruselum and other locations of the bible was in Africa how many true Africans do you know that dont have a little tan or melonin in the skin. So why are all the pictures of the bible of “White people”. It is called brainwash and they have even brained wash us into hating ourselves.
This to me isno longer a symbol just for Black Power – this symbol represents to me Humanity Power! Once humanity wake up to the devistation that faces our race (the race of humanity) such symbols will by used to empower human beings and not human groups. So as I lift up my fist – I shall began educate all nationalities and lift my fist of Humanity Power once again.