Black Arts Movement Reflection

Before taking this course, I thought I had a substantial understanding of what a revolution was. I took history classes in high school and at Seattle University, and felt like my knowledge of historical revolutions was enough. However, I was surprised and enthralled with the diverse stories and voices we engaged with through essays, poetry, songs, plays, and artwork. In previous courses, I never discussed or learned about the Irish Revolution and the role of women in the rising, the Black Arts Movement and the Black Panthers, or the Iranian Revolution. Reading texts from all of these revolutions was not only enlightening to learn about but also empowering because I heard point of views from the powerful people who faced adversaries and made

Through analyzing revolutions, it became clear that people rise up against political and cultural institutions that are systematically discriminatory. A classroom activity that I remember helping me understand elements of revolutions was when we worked in groups to analyze Goldstone’s text. We made posters to describe his definition of the revolution as well as the conditions and causes, processes, leadership, and outcomes. By putting them on separate posters with different symbols and graphics, it helped me remember and visualize each part of the revolution Goldstone describes. All of these elements of a revolution are evident in the Black Arts Movement, where black people collectively resisted institutionalized white supremacy and western ideals of beauty and art through creating a black aesthetic. They also advocated for the idea of Black Power and the importance of taking a stand against authorities and systems that outwardly stripped black people of human rights. I think what made the Black Arts Movement so revolutionary and impactful to so many people was that the influence that the two powerful leaders Malcolm X

This poem made me be aware of the subconscious messages the media gives us and the beliefs we hold that perpetuate otherness and discrimination. The poem as a whole also made me reflect on the themes of the adversaries every black person has to face just for being black that I have never experienced and that my parents probably never worried about when they were raising me. This includes being called racial slurs, and my looks not being valued as beautiful by society. I think I connected more with these messages because they were in the form of a poem. The poetic aspect of it let me be both aware of the symbols and themes while still feeling the emotion of the speaker and empathizing with her worries and