How do the tenets of Black Power and the Black liberation movement find expression in the poetry of the Black Arts Movement?

The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense created a 10 Point Program on October 15, 1966. As a reformation of the Bill of Rights and the U.S Declaration of Independence, the 10 Point Program is a list of wants and demands from the Black community. Along came a list of goals written by members of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. As stated in the first section:

“We Want Freedom. We Want Power To Determine

The Destiny Of Our Black Community.”

Written, it reads “We Want Power To Determine The Destiny Of Our Black Community”, meaning the Party wanted a say in the legacy and ongoing path for the future of their community. The 10 Point Program did just that. Not only did they start and create various influential acts and services (such as the Free Breakfast Program and Black Student Unions), but they also influenced and inspired many Black writers and creators to expand on their craft alone. Whether that may be publishing books, art, music, or poetry. The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense helped heavily develop the origins and lasting influences of the Black Arts Movement, or  “B.A.M” for short. With this, it is quite easy to find/locate expressions of Black Power and Liberation relating back to the original goals and wants of The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense.

In We A BaddDDD People; i am a blk wooOOOOMAN (1970), Sonia Sanchez reflects on the experiences of being a Black woman in the U.S. It reads;

my brown

bamboo/colored

blk/berry/face

will spread itself over 

this western hemisphere and

be remembered.

This section specifically relates to the first point of the  10 Point Program that states “We believe that Black people will not be free until we are able to determine our destiny”. Sanchez emphasizes that her legacy should and will be remembered, and instead of suggesting she is rather demanding that she will be remembered and “spread over the western hemisphere. Just as the Panthers believed and later demanded that  Black people will not be free until they are able to determine their destiny.

In Malcom X, the life story and progression of the life of Malcom X (Malcom Little) was put into full detail and perspective. The story of Malcom X has great ties to the Black Panther Party, as many ideals and perspectives from both X and the Black Panthers were associated with liberation, and the idea that nonviolent protests could not truly liberate Black Americans. In Malcolm X (El Hajj El Shabazz 1925-1965), it is mentioned that Malcolm's father was murdered by resentful whites, leaving his family to depend solely on his mother, Louise. Though many activists were focused on the effects of brutality/police brutality towards the Black community, the relation between Malcolm's views and situation relates heavily to the demands and end goals of The Black Panther Party and their 10 Point Program. Point 7 of the program reads;

We Want An Immediate End To 

Police Brutality And Murder Of Black People.

We believe we can end police brutality in our Black community by organizing Black self-defense groups that are dedicated to defending our Black community from racist police oppression and brutality. The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States gives a right to bear arms. We therefore believe that all Black people should arm themselves for self-defense. 

Even though these stories of Malcom X are in fact his life, his life being told, the relation to the Black Arts Movement and the party still stands. Someone felt the need to combine the complex stories of Malcolm X and put them together to create something bigger than just a plain telling of his life. 

In all, the poetry of the Black Arts Movement powerfully translates to the political demands of the Black Panther Party’s 10-point Program into artistic expression, showing that literature itself can be a form of resistance and liberation. Just as the Program insists on self-determination and freedom, these poets assert ownership over Black identity, voice, and future. In Sonia Sanchez’s poem, the line “we want to determine the destiny of our Black community” is echoed through her imagery of legacy and survival, as she writes that her words “will spread itself over the western hemisphere and be remembered’. Similarly, the urgency behind demands like “We Want An Immediate End To Police Brutality And Murder Of Black People” reflects not only a political stance but a cultural and emotional cry for justice. Together, these works demonstrate how art and activism are deeply intertwined, reinforcing the idea that creative expression can both reflect and inspire real social change.