Black representation on campus
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2017-12
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Towson Seminar
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[From paper] In 1966, civil rights leader Stokely Carmichael gave a speech at UC Berkeley where he used the phrase “Black Power” to describe an ideology of racial pride and black autonomy. The phrase “Black Power” had been used before the 1960s, but Stokely Carmichael’s speech in 1966 was the first time the phrase reached a large audience (Odlum). Black Power was an appealing ideology for African Americans dissatisfied with the direction of the civil rights movement and it became a national turning point. During this time period, activism on campuses began to increase due to the spread of counterculture. Also, Carmichael had just become head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which was one of the most prominent civil rights groups on college campuses, which contributed to the rise of Black Power on campuses. In the late 1960s, there were a number of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in Maryland that began to embrace the Black Power movement, but there was no sign of involvement at Towson State. Towson State students did not embrace the Black Power movement because of the underrepresentation of African Americans within the school. Instead, organizations on campus worked to empower black students and give them a means of expression through creating and advertising events, meetings, and resources that fostered a sense of community and acceptance among African American students.