The Nation of Islam

Tne Nation of Islam developed out of a nexus of political, cultural, and social tumult. Like any social phenomenon, it was a product of its time. During the the early 20th century, America was a country with a huge cultural investment in the theoretical construct of white supremacym and while white supremacy was obviously inimical to all people of color, its primary focus was to secure for whites exclusive access to a wide range of democratic (social, political and economic) pursuits to affirm black inferiority. African-Americans were constantly attacked in all areas of their life. On the federal, state, and local levels, laws and customs pushed blacks into the periphery of American citizenship. Movies, radio shows, postcards, and popular sayings ridiculed black people, even making light of black suffering and death. Lynch mobs, poor housing, inadequate housing and job discrimination meant that being black in America was both dangerous and unwise. Black organizations that were pro-black stuggled with reconciling their own contradictions with black self-love. The Nation of Islam was one of them.

The NOI was the chief inspiration and benefactor for the Black Power Movement.

To read more about the Nation of Islam, please visit: http://www.noi.org/

Back to the Black Power Movement main page Black Power Movement