The Black Church's Role In The Black Power Movement

The Black Church has played many roles in the black community and their struggle for freedom. During the Black Power era which spanned from the mid 1960’s to the late 1970’s, questions raised about the Black Church’s role in the Black Power Movement. What was its role in the movement, and was it helping to further one of the main goals of the movement to get self-determination for blacks? The Black Church during the Black Power movement helped the black people by providing the black communities with a welcoming, open space, uniting black communities throughout the United States and focusing the communities on one common goal of getting self-determination.

The Black Churches provided their community with a welcoming, community space that organizations such Black Panther Party and the Nation of Islam did not provide. Two prominent organizations of the Black Power Movement were the Black Panther Party and the Nation of Islam. The Nation of Islam was a religious organizations. If you did not practice the

Organization like the Black Panther Party were rooted in mostly urban communities. The organization did have chapters in many black communities but not in all black communities (Shabazz One).Unlike the Black Panther Party the Black Churches were located throughout the United States. They were in rural areas and suburban areas. Each of those churches had various sized followings. If all of those churches united together and focused on fixing the problem of self-determination, that problem would get the amount of equality supporters and representation throughout the United States it needed to be solved. The church acted as the communicator to the communities to the communities scattered throughout the United States. From the church walls leaders would emerge, and guide the national community formed to the victory of self-determination for the black race in