Black Awakening in Capitalist America: An Analytic History

320 Pages·1990·10.981 MB·English

by  Robert L. Allen

BLACK AWAKENING
IN
CAPITALIST AMERICA

BLACK AWAKENING
IN
CAPITALIST AMERICA
An Analytic History
ROBERT L. ALLEN
~ ~0f~~~~9~orld Press, Inc.
'W
Trenton, New jersey 08607
Africa World Press, Inc.
P.O. Box 1892
Trenton, New Jersey 08607
First Printing AW P edition 1990
Second Printing AW P edition 1992
Copyright © Robert L. Allen
All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system or transmitted in any
form or by any means electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise without the prior written
permission of the publisher.
Cover design by Ife Nii Owoo
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 90-80153
ISBN: 0-86543-172-8 Cloth
0-86543-157-4 Paper
For black students and youth,
who must shoulder a burden
others have let fall

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Most books are the products of efforts by many different
people. This one is no exception. Space does not permit
me to note all of those who in some way aided in the prep
aration of this volume, but I would like to thank Pam Allen,
Julius Lester, Conrad Lynn, Marty Olsen and Penny
Schaner for their thoughtful criticisms and kind words of
encouragement. I am especially indebted to Bill Mandel,
who evaluated and criticized the manuscript with profes
sorial diligence, offering many valuable insights in the
process. Whatever worth there is in this book must be
credited in large part to these friends. Whatever weak
nesses remain are my responsibility alone.
A word of thanks also to the staff of the Guardian for
permission to use material that appeared in somewhat dif
ferent form in the pages of that publication.
R.L.A.

CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii
I. Introduction 1
II. The Social Context of Black Power 21
III. Black Nationalism 89
IV. Black Power and Bourgeois Black
Nationalism 128
v. Corporate Imperialism vs. Black Liberation 193
VI. Black Radicals: Rhetoric and Reality 246
VII. Conclusion: Toward a Transitional Program 274
BIBLIOGRAPHY 285
INDEX 289