Justifying violence‐the rhetoric of militant black power

Abstract

Black Power is an ambiguous but powerful symbol in the crisis of racial relations. Since the interpretations of reality it entails cannot be avoided and since violent suppression of violent Black Power is possible only at the cost of a police state, we must seek to encourage a constructive working out of Black Power pressures which may allow a symbolic release of violence. Understanding the rhetoric that justifies Black violence will make a constructive conclusion more hopeful. The point of view taken here is that rhetoric becomes a part of whatever facts are relevant to human concerns.