1966 – Activist Stokely Carmichael Coined “Black Power”

On June 10, 1966, during the Meredith March Against Fear in Mississippi, Stokely Carmichael (later known as Kwame Ture) electrified the crowd by declaring, “We want Black Power!” The phrase captured a growing frustration with the slow pace of civil rights reform and the need for African Americans to define their own identities, control their own institutions, and assert political and economic autonomy. Carmichael’s call for Black Power marked a shift from integrationist rhetoric toward a more nationalist and self-determined framework for racial justice. The phrase sparked controversy but also energized a younger, more militant generation of activists. It eventually influenced the formation of the Black Panther Party and inspired global movements for African and Afro-Caribbean liberation.