Black Journal: Ep 8 (1969) [Black Capitalism, Community & City Control]

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This episode reviews the year 1968 and asks what 1969 has to bring next, concentrating on three often interrelated areas vis-/*-vis black America: economics, politics, and community control.

There is among blacks a consensus that the age of white patronage has ended and that black programs must be increasingly cohesive. In the words of black militant Ron Karenga, 1968 was a year in which blacks were "politicized" in order to "take a position on self-discrimination, self-respect and self-defense. 1969 will be the year of reconstruction, to pull all this together."

In the area of economics, the consensus opposes President Nixon's concept of black capitalism, which would only be "an adjunct of white capitalism" in the words of historian Richard Moore. Instead, "we must organizes co-operatives, strengthen the organization of Afro-American workers," and create financial resources capable of helping "Africans rid themselves of colonialism and neo-colonialism."


Vital to the Negroes' credo of self-determination is community control - most immediately regarding the school system. Actor-author Julian Mayfield asks: Who will control the city schools, the community or "the white gangs who have always had control?" Ultimately, he feels the community will gain control. "Next comes the police," says Mayfield. He notes that Black Power involves "controlling out environment as much as humanely possible. Otherwise, we'll all be in concentration camps." There is general agreement on the importance of the student movement, encouraging the admission of more blacks in universities and more organization among these black students. LeRoi Jones remarks the black movement has been more successful on predominantly white campuses than at Negro colleges where "Tomism" remains a strong force, especially among administrators. He cites Howard University as a case in point.

Black Journal began as a monthly series produced for, about, and - to a large extent - by black Americans, which used the magazine format to report on relevant issues to black Americans.

Published 3 years ago

Category Video  /  General

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