Black Power

noun

variants or black power

: the mobilization of the political and economic power of Black Americans especially to compel respect for their rights and improve their condition

—often used before another noun

the Black Power movementBlack Power salutesblack power groups/organizations

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The audience will witness the rise of black power from a new perspective as African American activists, musicians from Stax, and local sports stars are transformed from vocal protesters to savvy politicians.

Brendan Doherty, Forbes, 29 June 2022 Premature helmer Rashaad Ernesto Green is set to direct ’68, a drama about the historic 1968 Olympics black power salute protest by Tommie Smith and John Carlos during a medal presentation, for MGM, Participant and Macro.

Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Mar. 2022 In the 1968 Olympics, two US athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, raised a black power salute.

Stephen Collinson, CNN, 24 Oct. 2020 Chavis mentioned boxers Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali as examples, along with sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists on the medal stand at the 1968 Olympics to support black power and human rights.

Joel A. Erickson, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Oct. 2020 By its final lines, thousands of fists are raised in the air in a solidarity salute to black power.

Janelle Harris Dixon, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Aug. 2020 Yet the end of the war did not bring peace but only a return to the jittery status quo of plots, uprisings, and white anxieties about black power.

Fara Dabhoiwala, The New York Review of Books, 3 Aug. 2020 Charlie Billingsley, artist and founder of the Museum for Black Girls — another partner for the festival, said every piece connects to what’s going on in the world, from slogans and quotes to symbols like records, afros and the black power fist.

Catherine Henderson, The Know, 19 June 2020 His character is hypnotic and riven with contradictions, espousing both black power and Donald Trump, while hurling ethnic slurs at the Vietnamese with abandon.

Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, 12 June 2020 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'Black Power.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.