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U. of I. conference to explore legacy and significance of 'black power'
Craig Chamberlain,
News Editor
217-333-2894; cdchambe@uiuc.edu
3/16/2006
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill.
— It was 40 years ago this summer when civil rights leader Stokely
Carmichael first uttered the phrase “black power” and sparked
a movement that changed the nature of U.S. race relations.
The legacy of that movement will be the subject of a conference March
29 through April 1 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
“Race, Roots, and
Resistance: Revisiting the Legacies of Black Power” will explore
the influence of the movement on African-American political, economic
and social development.
“The black power movement was one of the most significant developments
in the African-American experience,” says Sundiata Cha-Jua, the
director of the university’s African
American Studies and Research Program, the sponsor of the conference.
“It was perhaps second only to emancipation in its transformation
of U.S. race relations,” he said. “It also inspired the
most broad-based and significant outpouring of cultural creativity in
African-American history.”
More than 100 presentations will deal with topics ranging from blaxploitation
films and the roots of hip hop, to perceptions of racism, the media’s
influence on the movement, and the movement’s influence abroad.
The goal of the conference is to provide a deeper understanding of the
movement’s historical significance and its impact, Cha-Jua said.
People planning to attend the free, public conference are asked to register.
For additional information, contact Christopher Benson or Will Patterson
at
217-333-7781.
