A Call For Unity
A Call for Unity: A Solution to End Discrimination in the United States
Problem under Discussion:
The purpose of this page is to highlight a given solution which will work towards ending
discrimination caused by the cycle of mass incarceration, which is prompted by
institutionalized racism and overall racism in the United States. The solution has derived
from Kendrick Lamar’s song Mortal Man. The solution presented in this song embraces
unity among African Americans.
Abstract:
The purpose of this page is to analyze a solution aiming to end discrimination/oppression
of African Americans in the United States. The solution is given by Kendrick Lamar in
his album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). In Mortal Man, a song off of the album, Lamar
offers unity among African Americans as the solution to end the discrimination which is
causing them to become part of the cyclical system of mass incarceration (produced by
institutionalized racism). Lamar believes that unity between African Americans will
allow these individuals to form a more powerful and durable collective (Lamar, Mornings
with Carson Daly). Although Lamar’s solution is not a piece of official legislation, his
ideology serves as a stable foundation for a social change in the African American
community and the United States. In order to argue why this solution will be successful
in today’s society, I must give prior instances of this embracing of unity and why it failed
during those times. The two most prominent examples of past unity among African
Americans were: the Black Panther Party during the late 1960s to the early 1980s and the
unity between Crips and Bloods brought by the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. Both of these
movements were strong instances of unity, but ended in failure.The Black Panther Party
utilized unity as a form of resistance and it aided their ideology of Black Power (Cleaver
and Katsiaficas). Their failure can be attributed to the FBI’s tactics of repression
(Churchill and Wall). The L.A Riots led to prosperous unity between two notorious
rivals, the Crips and Bloods (Covey). Repression from the LAPD and local government
quickly eliminated the unity between the two gangs (Cohen). I will structure my
Advocacy Project in the following format. The first section of the paper will introduce
Kendrick Lamar’s solution and what he hopes it will accomplish. The following section
will consist of two instances where unity was used to fight against discrimination, but
ended in utter failure. I will discuss the goals of the Black Panther Party and the 1992
Watts Gang Truce, and I will identify what led to the failure of these two movements.
The third section will address my support of unity and how it will benefit the African
American community. In this section I will also describe in what form this solution
should be carried out and how it will fail when it is embraced incorrectly. I anticipate
counterarguments concerning the legitimacy of the solution. Since the solution is not
being presented in “Bill” form, some may argue that it does not classify as a real solution.
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A Call For Unity
The other will be concerning the mentality of African Americans. Some believe (like
Admiral LeRoy), that unity cannot occur among African Americans because of their
competitive mentality.
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A Call For Unity
A Call For Unity: A Solution to End Discrimination in the United States
The foundation of America was based on the unity of the thirteen established colonies,
all unifying to fight for liberation and recognition. Once the American Revolution granted the
developing country annexation from its mother land Great Britain, the nation embraced its new
found identity as the United States of America. Although this country claims to collect all its
states and citizens into one big “melting pot”, the realities are far from that. Discrimination
against the minority races, especially African Americans, makes this “melting pot” a mere
illusion. African Americans have become the primary targets
of the country’s tactical system of institutionalized racism. The
effects of institutionalized racism can be traced back from the
beginnings of slavery, to the present day use of mass
incarceration and gang injunctions. How can one fix this
historical plight, which has been demeaning the existence of
African Americans? The solution to this complex problem can
take many routes. I choose to focus on the solution offered by
Kendrick Lamar in his album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). In
the song Mortal Man, Lamar indicates that unity among
solution to stop discrimination against African Americans.
(Video)
The song Mortal Man contains Kendrick Lamar’s
African Americans will serve as a step towards the termination
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmfWA3SdNpA
of discrimination against the black community. The lyrics I drew the solution from are as presented:
But while my loved ones was fighting the continuous war back in the city, I was
entering a new one
A war that was based on apartheid and discrimination
Made me wanna go back to the city and tell the homies what I
learned
The word was respect
Just because you wore a different gang color than mine’s
Doesn’t mean I can’t respect you as a black man
Forgetting all the pain and hurt we caused each other in these
streets
If I respect you, we unify and stop the enemy from killing us
But I don’t know, I’m no mortal man, maybe I’m just another nigga. (Outro,
lines 14-25)
As it is noted, the solution is not in the form of a legislative bill drafted by a house
representative or state senator. The solution is being presented in the form of an idea, by an
individual who is currently influencing the actions of this generation. Lamar not only focuses on
the unity between all African Americans, but he gives a great importance to the unity of rival
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A Call For Unity
gangs such as the Crips and Bloods. In a 2014 interview with radio host Carson Daily on AMP
Radio, Kendrick Lamar was asked whether the theme for his then released single “i” and his
upcoming album was unity. Lamar responded, “Instead of throwing
up a gang sign, like we’re used to. I put a Blood and a Crip
together and we throwing up a heart. Sparking the idea of some
type of change through music or through me” (AMP Radio, 4:19).
The solution appears to many as a simple task, but it proves to be
quite intricate. This call for unity serves as the perfect template for
a step towards the end of discrimination, but Lamar does not
(Video) In an interview on AMP Radio, Kendrick Lamar
provide a clear example of how this unity should be embraced. In
speaks about his push for unity in his song “i” and
order to determine what form this solution should take, I will
album.https://www.youtube.com/watch?
st=PLDC2wnCGT3rV-examine past instances of unity in the black community by
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analyzing their triumphs and what led to their devastating downfall.
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By doing so, I will be able to formulate a cohesive system of unity
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for the African American community.
Restrained Unity: The Black Panther Party and The Watts Gang Truce
In order for unity to take full effect in the African American communities there has to be
a change in their mentality, in other words they must no longer be deceived by the illusion they
have been trapped in. The Crisis In Afro-American Leadership, by Ethelbert W. Haskins,
examines how the mentality of African Americans has evolved into an area of pessimism and
limited motivation to take matters into their own hands. According to Haskins, this repressed
mentality is the product of the implementation and use of “Racism Ideology”. Racism Ideology
is the idea that African Americans become trapped in a “conviction of helplessness and
hopelessness leaving them in psychological bondage…” (Haskins, 13). Haskins essentially
argues that black people blame their confinement to the black ghetto on the idea of racism and
this leads them to abstain from becoming members of activist groups or from altering their
condition. He believes that instead of simply discussing and pondering over the effects of racism,
individuals need to tackle it whenever it conflicts with ones civil rights (Haskins, 15). With the
growth of institutionalized racism, African Americans began to leave the imprisonment of
Racism Ideology during the Black Panther Party and The Watts Gang Truce.
This confrontation of racism was witnessed with the
emergence of the Black Panther Party in 1966. The party was
created by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seal in Oakland,
California and it allowed African Americans to unify under a
new ambition (Cleaver and Katsiaficas, 3). Unlike other
political organizations during the time, the ideology of the
BPP was based on Marxism and Socialism. They relied on
revolutionary radicalism through armed resistance, to execute
their efforts of social change in the United States (Cleaver and
Katsiaficas, 3). This was a major change in the way
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A Call For Unity
African Americans demonstrated their political
Members of the Black Panther Party partaking in a political demonstration.
awareness, when compared to the prior Civil Rights
http://blackhistorymonth2014.com/192/black-panther-party/
Movements. Although the party embraced radicalism,
they had a strict set of rules (known as the Rules of the Black Panther Party) which required
professional conduct from all members when performing their duties and advocacy. Maintaining
a well organized system of operation allowed the BPP to branch out across the entire United
States. Another goal of the party was to improve the social environment of their communities and
to expand political awareness among other African Americans. This proves that even though
most of their efforts were put into activism in the realm of national politics, they did not neglect
the condition of their communities. Attention was given to their homes with programs such as the
Free Breakfast for Children Program. The program is an example of their popular “Serve the
People Programs”, whose main goal was to feed the thousands of children in black communities
(Cleaver and Katsiaficas, 87). The grand support this party received led it to be the prime target
for repression and elimination.
The Black Panther Party started with a strong unity
of African Americans, but the sense of togetherness soon
met a great obstacle, the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
As the political scope of the BPP began to grow and the
support of its efforts increased throughout the country, the
FBI grew conscious of its progress and labeled them as a
growing threat to the security of the nation. Starting in
1967, the FBI created a plan to annihilate the party,
known as the COINTELPRO (Cleaver and Katsiaficas,
80). In Agents of Repression, Ward Churchill and James
Vander Wall referred to the COINTELPRO as “a specific
secret and typically illegal operation, in popular usage the
term came to signify the whole context of clandestine
political repression activities…” (Churchill and Wall, 37).
The activities conducted under this illegal protocol
This is a piece of the COINTELPRO documentation
were not categorized as inhumane or punishable but the which aimed to
eliminate the existence of the Black
Panther Party.
http://images.rapgenius.com/
United States government. The FBI created a specific tool
of suppression against members of the BPP under the
586fbf0edd12e808815188707094b042.525x477x1.png
COINTELPRO known as “The Effort to Disrupt the Black
Panther Party by Promoting Internal Dissention, 2)FBI
Role in the Newton Clearer Rift” (Churchill and Wall, 40). Under this operation, the FBI
murdered many prominent leaders of the movement and they began to create disagreements
within the party. An example of this use of violence against party members, was the assassination
of Fred Hampton on December 4, 1969. Agents entered the apartment of the powerful leader
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A Call For Unity
after strategic planning and killed him with two close-range shots (Churchill and Walls, 72).
Through several of these illicit tactics, the FBI’s goal of repression was accomplished. The
disintegration and decline of the BPP lead to the down fall of the once strong unity among
African Americans. The Black Panther Party adopted neutralized political objectives and
abandoned their use of radicalism. Change in their politics led to the split of the party and the
formation of the Black Liberation Army, which retained the radical views of the former party
(Cleaver and Katsiaficas, 4). Unfortunately, the Black Panther Party could not overcome the
challenges created by the FBI and it fully disintegrated in
1982.
Ten years after the fall of the Black Panther Party,
a new form of unity in the black community was
witnessed. In 1992, a devastating verdict for the Rodney
King Trial set off an avalanche of chaos and vandalism
throughout the city of Los Angeles (Convey, 22).
Although this event lead to the destruction of a city, an
unexpected unity came from it. During the rioting, the
Crips and Bloods came together to create hope and
The Crips and Bloods formed a truce so they could
unite and change the condition of their communities.
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/640x360/
progress in the African American communities. Their unity
p02p6flp.jpg
was declared on April 27, 1992, in the Watts Gang Truce, originating in the neighborhoods of
Watts. Factions of the two gangs came together and promoted their new unity with the inclusion
of the L.A. youth, attempting to influence them to also take part in this togetherness (Afary, 65).
The switch from hostility to solidarity, created an aspiration of social change among the residents
of Los Angeles as well as the nation. The motives for their unity can be credited to the
awakening of their political activism after the beating of Rodney King, and their push for the
improvement of their communities. The prime target for the positive effects of the gang truces
were the city’s youth. Gang members held “gangtruce picnics”, meetings, and programs allowing
gang members to acquire activist skills (Afary, 101). These social programs illustrate how
important the wellbeing of their communities were to them.
With the development of strong relationships between these African American gangs,
repression soon attempted to fracture their unity. With the growth of these truces in the Los
Angeles area, the Los Angeles Police Department believed that the unity these gangs were
creating was a threat to the safety of police officers. Law enforcement began to accuse these
gangs of coming together in order to create a coalition whose main goal was to “assault the
LAPD” (Afary, 84). Police officers then began to invade the events held by gang members and
resorted to the suppression of the gang truce efforts. Many individuals like Malcolm Klein,
author of The American Street Gangs, opposed the
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A Call For Unity
formation of gang truces because they believed that this
coming together “lent greater credence and legitimacy to
gang identity” (Afary, 67). On the contrary, gangs decided
to form a truce so they could change the unjust conditions
they were relegated to by the police. Since gang members
were stereotyped as individuals who were prone to
committing crimes and creators of social terror, their
efforts for political change were not taken into
consideration. When these individuals advocated for
The LAPD believed that this unity that the gangs
social programs, they were given false promises by city formed
the gang
was a threat to their safety. They sought to officials (Afrary, 86). By only listening to
repress this unity.
http://irishstudies.sunygeneseoenglish.org/wpcontent/uploads/sites/6/2014/12/Corbis-JS001243.jpg
members, but not fulfilling their requests, city officials hoped to weaken the strength of the
truces. The lack of interest on behalf of the government, caused the gang truces to loose
momentum. With very little civic progress occurring in the communities, the Crips and Bloods
gave into the violent habits they had just left behind. With their failure to create major change in
their communities, these gang members re-entered the “permanent system of humiliation”
(Afary, 67).This psychological effect, led the gang members to end their unity. Prompting them
to regress to rivalry and bloodshed. The Watts Gang Truce came to a distressing halt.
Today’s Structured Unity: We Are One
Kendrick Lamar hopes to steer African Americans away from enduring the misery caused
by the countries use of institutionalized racism through a rise of unity. However, some believe
that unity cannot occur because of the mentality of African Americans. According to Admiral
LeRoy, a writer for Pensacola News Journal, “… ‘The crabs in the bucket’ mentality from which we
blacks suffer” is not allowing unity among African
Americans (LeRoy, 3). Similar to Kendrick Lamar, LeRoy
also believes that unity will end the constant cycle of
discrimination against blacks, but he does not think it will
occur due to the supposed competitive mentality of African
Americans. Individuals who support this argument believe
that unity cannot blossom because African Americans are not
allowing one another to climb the “ladder of success”. They
cling to each other similar to how crabs prohibit others from
escaping the bucket they are
Lea Edwards attempted to decrease a
gang involvement, but failed when he
young black male’s confined to (in the case of African Americans: lower
engaged in a violent economic communities). An example of how individuals
https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/132271086_640.jaltercation. pg blame the mentality of blacks, was depicted in Maxi
Cohen’s documentary on the effects of the 1992 L.A.
Riots, South Central Los Angeles: Inside Voices. In the documentary Lea Edwards an African
American teacher, wanted to examine the impact gangs had on the city’s youth. She reached out
to a young African American male who was involved in gang activities and attempted to pull
him away from the negativity he was submerging himself into. Edwards wanted him to unite
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A Call For Unity
with other black males and leave the gang life behind for a life of social progression. After
believing she positively changed his mentality, he soon reverted to his gang alliance as he
became involved in an altercation with a rival gang member. In utter disbelief Lea Edwards
remarked, “I don’t understand this. I don’t understand black people fighting with black people.
What’s up?” (Cohen, 27:10). She did not comprehend why the black youth are engaging in this
black on black violence, when they are already being oppressed by the county’s political system.
After witnessing this act of violence, Edwards believed that this failed unity of young black
males was just part of the struggle of being African American. What LeRoy’s argument
overlooks is the unity of African Americans seen during the Black Panther Party and the Watts
Gang Truce. As it was previously presented, these two-forms of unity failed because of the
suppression brought by the government, not because of their mentality. Thus the unity Kendrick
Lamar is pushing for will prove to be effective.
After analyzing the efforts of the Black Panther Party and the Watts Gang Truce, I took
aspects from both of these instances and embodied them into a new form of unity which would
serve today’s African American community. I will call this new unity “We Are One”. Since there
has been in increase in knowledge about the discrimination which exists within the law
enforcement and government (because of the repression used against the Black Panther Party and
the Watts Gang Truce), today’s unity will not be victim of the Government’s use of
repression.With regard to the Black Panther Party, I decided to stay away from its use of
radicalism in terms of armed resistance. If political organizations were to use armed resistance, it
would be similar to fighting fire with fire. The animosity would be thrown from one end to the
other, and it would lead to a never ending cycle of violence. I drew the first two components of
the new structure of unity out of The Black Panther’s “handy book” which includes its goals and
a detailed list of rules. The Black Panther’s set of rules serve as a perfect example of what
African Americans should use in order to become a unified body. The Rules of the Black Panther
Party consist of twenty-six set of rules ranging from how individuals should behave and what
they are required to do while they are members of the party. The two most important rules which
can be used to benefit the establishment of unity in today’s society are: “8.) No party member
will commit any crimes against other party members or black people at all and cannot steal or
take from the people, not even a needle or a piece of thread” and “18.) Political Education
Classes are mandatory for general membership” (History Is a Weapon).
The first rule presented is the concrete foundation needed for this new form of unity. Rule
Eight requires that all members respect one another, as well as all other African Americans.
Kendrick Lamar addressed this needed respect as part of his solution, “If I respect you, we unify
and stop the enemy from killing us” (Outro, line 24). One must keep in mind that during the era
of the Black Panther Party, respect for one another was simple to accomplish because gangs were
not well established. In today’s society black gangs have evolved into hostile rivals that
continuously express violence instead of reverence. Unity will mandate that these gang’s
contentions be replaced with the respect the Black Panther Party instilled in its members. BPP
members believed that it would be hypocritical to advocate for respect from others if blacks were
not respecting each other. Eliminating this insolence within the African American community (at
its root), will allow for these individuals to come together and fight off the discrimination.
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A Call For Unity
Respect is needed because without it, the whole purpose of this unity will be nonexistent. Also,
without this respect within the African American, individuals outside of the group will not
perceive it as a legitimate collective. People need to witness that respect exist within the group in
order to give it recognition and allow its existence.
The BPP believed that Political Education Classes were essential to become a powerful
organization. Its members were required to attend “BPP-operated schools” which taught
members about current social dilemmas and allowed them to engage in the solving of the
problem (Cleaver and Katsiaficas, 47). Rule Eighteen makes
political knowledge in members a mandatory component of
the parties membership. These specific classes should be
included into this new form of unity. Political Education
Classes would increase African Americans knowledge about
the way politics truly work in this country. In The German
Ideology, political philosophers Karl Marx and Frederick
Engles, state that the ruling class of a society “rule as
thinkers, as producers of ideas, and regulate the production
and distribution of the ideas of their age: thus their ideas are
the ruling ideas of the epoch” (Marx and Engles, 64-65). Here
Marx and Engels are essentially arguing that the structure of a
society, including all of its laws and ideologies, are being
created by the ruling class. In this country the ruling class
The Black Panther Party created Political Education
happens to be the wealthy, white
classes aimed to teach different age groups of African
citizens. This group of people retain the power to determine
Americans.
how the country is structured and what ideas it will live off of.
http://www.eco-action.org/dod/no9/class_photo.jpg
The elite class naturalizes its ideologies of discrimination
primarily through the country’s politics and laws. Only they are
aware of how these racial ideologies are being implemented into
the society, while others remain socially unconscious of this
oppressive structure. These Political Education classes will
then help African Americans break free from this state of
unconsciousness. The true understanding of the United States
social and political structure will then commence. In these
classes, individuals will then begin to examine the laws of the
country. As they look into the laws, they will notice they have
been created to limit their mobility. This political awakening
will allow them to take laws such as the “Three Strikes” law
and The AntiDrug Abuse Act (Alexander, 86), which are
created to lead African Americans into the grasp of the
system of mass incarceration, and advocate for their for either their elimination or a change in
their severity. Although all individuals should take part in these discourses, the African
American youth should be the prime attendees of these classes. Their attendance is required
because they are the ones who will be continuing this unity throughout the years. They to will be
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A Call For Unity
more likely to have a positive effect on the alteration of the country’s politics. The job of the
older African Americans will be to mentor and educate their youth. They must ensure that their
teachings promote further unity within the African American community. The overall effect
these classes will have, is the political awakening of African Americans. They will no longer be
trapped in the deception of the United States’ political system.
The 1992 Watts Gang Truce serves to address the
current problem of inner cities, gangs. With the growth of
gangs, in California approximately “ 47 percent of African
American males have their information gathered in the CalGang
In these Political Education classes, African
Americans will learn about systems of
oppression created by laws. They will learn
about the system of mass incarceration and
they will be able to advocate for a change in the
system.
http://www.zevin.com/images/Rise%20in
%20incarceration%20rate.png
Database” (Muniz, 216). It is important to note that not all of
these individuals are gang members, some have just been
classified as such by law enforcement. Knowing this, it is
apparent that gangs have become a new prey for the United
States’ system of institutionalized racism through gang
injunctions. Gangs thus play an essential role in this new form
of unity. Similar to the Watts Gang Truce, since the Crips and
Bloods are the two dominant African American gangs. These
two gangs must construct a new truce that will permit them to
Summit, where they work out their differences and unify and promote solidarity among the youth in their learn about
Teens at risk of gang involvement engaging in a Gang
positive social involvement.
http://www.streetgangs.com/wp-content/uploads/
2013/11/YouthSummit1-300x168.jpg
community through social programs. When they unify, they will
produce a social effect where smaller scale gangs will follow the
actions of the larger ones and also replace their rivalry with peace.
Two of the most influential social programs created by the Crips and Bloods during the
existence of the Watts Gang Truce were: The Gang Truce Summit and FACES (Focusing on
And
Creating Ethnic Solidarity). The Gang Truce Summit was depicted in the documentary South
Central Los Angeles: Inside Voices. In the film, the Gang Truce Summit took form of a
conference, where members of gangs along with eminent individuals (in this case it was rapper
Ice-T) provided advice/help for young African American males who were at risk or were
involved in gang activities. The implementation of conferences of this type today would
influence the youth to stay away from gang involvement, because they provide these adolescents
with different routes they can take to better their lives. Since these summits bring in people who
the youth perceive as role models, Kendrick Lamar would be a perfect candidate. He would be
able to directly carry out his idea of unity to these individuals, thus producing a more powerful
effect. These Gang Truce Summits will arrange conferences in gang prone communities
throughout the United States, reaching out to the youth. Dewayne Holmes, director of FACES
illustrates the influences these types of summits have on at risk individuals:
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A Call For Unity
Davis (Mike Davis) valued what I had to say… He had a tremendous impact on
my life at a point when I was trying to transition out of the gang lifestyle. Many people,
especially those in the LAPD, think that guys like me never change… Mike came in and
began to show us how to organize around issues that presented me with an opportunity to
really experience power in organizing. (Afary, 111)
In Performance and Activism, Kamran Afary discusses the importance of the social
program FACES. FACES was an organization which produced “planned athletic, educational,
and job development fairs for the youth in an attempt to maintain peace between rival gangs in
Los Angeles” (Afary, 111). Under an organization like FACES, individuals allow the youth to
see that there are many more choices than resorting to gang involvement. In a program of this
caliber, they will learn that they do not have to be confined to the conditions their communities
produce. A program of this sort will give this youth an opportunity to transform their lives. The
Political Education Classes mentioned earlier can be implemented into
this type of organization, since the program covers a wide variety of
topics. Their political awareness will also be awakened in these programs
and through this, the youth will realize that they have the capabilities to
change their communities by engaging in productive activities. Keeping
the African American youth off of the streets will reduces their chances
of being victims of gang injunctions and the further discrimination found
in gangs.
Unfortunately, all solutions are not faultless. The structure of today’s
unity I have proposed will fail if its goals and formation are produced in
times of riots. It will not fail because of the programs it
(Video) Members from the Crips and Bloods
This map depicts the areas gang injunctions are targeting. In
will implement, but because of the time at which it was formed. Unity
social programs like FACE, black males will be able to stay
away from the reach of the gang injunctions.
should not be embraced only to support a current situation (e.g. a case of http://safeandjust.uscmediacurator.com/wp-content/uploads/
2013/11/gang_injun_OCB_85x11.png
police brutality) because when the uprisings of the situation die
down, so will the unity. These short-term forms of unity were
witnessed in the recent Ferguson and Baltimore Riots. Before these tragic events occurred, there
was no real sense of unity. Unified African Americans were only seen as the media payed
attention to the riots. Once the media began to distance its focus from these riots, the support for
unity began to fade away. Of course the short-termed unity seen in these instances was created
11
A Call For Unity
for a good cause, but they were created to support/gain awareness of just that situation not
overall racism.
Conclusion
Kendrick Lamar devised a solution for the end of discrimination in his album To Pimp a
Butterfly, hoping that individuals would recognize his efforts to alter the poor conditions of
African American communities. His call for unity has begun to reach his audience and is now
prompting them to come together. In an interview conducted by Top Dawg Entertainment, Jigga
and G Weed, members of the Crips and Bloods gangs came together because of Lamar’s
message of unity. Remarking on Lamar’s message, G weed said, “Music is real influential, and
you got people like Kendrick promoting unity. And if things start with kids, that makes kids want
to be cool with each other no matter what neighborhood they grew up in.” (TDE, 1:34). Jigga
also praised Lamar’s efforts and stated, “Kendrick is giving us a reason and understanding of
why we should have unity…It’s a unity thing and we taking steps together.” (TDE,
express their thought on Kendrick Lamar’s push 2:10). This proves that Lamar’s unity in not a simple idea, it is a for
Unity.
needed social change. Past instances of unity in the African
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
American community failed due to the repression from country’s
government, not because of their programs. The 1966 Black Panther
Party and the 1992 Watts Gang Truce both suffered failure
due to the suppression placed on them by the United States’ government. Utilizing Lamar’s
endorsement of unity in the African American community, I formulated a new structure of unity
by taking successful attributes from the Black Panther Party and the Watts Gang Truce between
the Crips and Bloods. The new unity, which I named “We Are One”, focused on political
education and social progression in black communities. As I discussed what components should
be included into this unity, I aimed to focus on the youth of these communities. The point of
today’s unity, is to come together to influence the youth of the African American communities.
The youth is the key to continued unity and political/social change throughout the years. Once
political education classes and social programs are implemented into these communities, African
Americans will begin to work towards constructing a nation of united states and declined racism.
v=_T2XcE9UhWI
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A Call For Unity
Bibliography
“!992 Unity Graffiti” Photograph. Digital Image. irishstudies.sunygeneseoenglish.org. N.p., 06 Dec.
2014. Web. 04 Dec. 2015. http://irishstudies.sunygeneseoenglish.org/wp-content/
uploads/sites/6/2014/12/Corbis-JS001243.jpg
This picture illustrates one of the forms in which gangs expressed their unity in during the
1992 Los Angeles Riots. The LAPD saw these acts as a threat to their security.
97.1 Amp Radio. “Kendrick Lamar Talks ‘i’, Next Album with Carson Daly on 97.1 AMP
Radio”. online video clip. Youtube. Youtube, 23 Sept. 2014. Web. 20 Nov. 2015. https://
www.youtube.com/watch? list=PLDC2wnCGT3rV-09AFKRV6mK_SAPYrCw_&v=fwbV5eUCePs
In this interview, Kendrick Lamar addresses the unity he is endorsing in his new music.
He wants to influence his audience to come together and stop this constant
discrimination.
Afary, Kamran. Performance and Activism: Grassroots Discourse After the Los Angeles
Rebellion of 1992. United Kingdom: Lexington Books, 2009. Print.
In this work, Afary analyzes the goal of the Watts Gang Truce and how it attempted to
improve the condition of the lower economic communities. He addresses social programs
that were crested under this group and why the truce was terminated.
Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In the Age of Colorblindness. New
York, New York: The New Press, 2010. Print.
Alexander argues that institutionalized racism is a cyclical system. She also provides laws
which are meant to discriminate against African Americans and lead them to mass
incarceration.
“Black Panther Party” Photograph. Digital Image. blackhistorymonth2014.com. N.p., Web. 18
Nov. 2015. http://blackhistorymonth2014.com/192/black-panther-party/
This image portrays the unity seen during the Black Panther Movement. African
Americans came together to express their political awareness and advocate for a change in
the political structure of the United States.
“Black Panther Political Education Classes” Photograph. Digital Image. econ-action.org. Web.
02 Dec. 2015.http://www.eco-action.org/dod/no9/panthers.htm
This Photograph depicts how the Political Education classes taught by the Black Panther
Party were intended to reach out to different age groups.
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A Call For Unity
Churchill, Ward, and Jim Vander Wall. Agents of Repression: The FBI’s Secret Wars Against the
Black Panther Party and the American Indian Movement. Second. Vol. 7. Cambridge,
Massachusetts: South End Press, 2002. Print. South End Press Classics Series.
Churchill and Wall analyze one of the factors that lead to the downfall of the Black
Panther Party. The FBI used political repression to limit the movements and expansion of
the BPP.
Cleaver, Kathleen, and George Katsificas. Liberation, Imagination, and the Black Panther Party.
New York, New York: Routledge, 2001. Print.
This work allowed me to identify the goals of the Black Panther Party and why African
Americans united under this movement. The book also addresses how the BPP began to
split, which lead to its dismantling
“COINTELPRO Documentation” Photograph. Digital Image. Genius.com. N.p., Web. 02 Dec.
2015.http://genius.com/Federal-bureau-of-investigation-authorization-of-cointelpro-forblackliberation-movement-annotated
This image illustrates the secret tactics the United State’s FBI used to repress the Black
Panther Party and to push for its disintegration.
Covey, Herbert C. Crips and Bloods: A Guide to an American Subculture. Santa Barbara,
California: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2015. Print.
This work addresses the instance of unity between the Crips and Bloods during the 1992
L.A Riots. It also addresses how they reverted back to active hatred against one another.
“Gang Injunction Map” Photograph. Digital Image. safeandjust.uscmediacurator.com. N.p. Web.
03 Dec. 2015.http://safeandjust.uscmediacurator.com/gang-injunctions/
This map demonstrates all the different areas gang injunctions are targeting. The areas are
all minority communities.
Haskins, Ethelbert W. The Crisis In Afro-American Leadership. Buffalo, New York: Prometheus
Books, 1988. Print.
Haskins addresses how black leadership from the 1960s has changed and addresses what
blacks must do in order to form a leadership. He states that this leadership can out if
African Americans become active in them realm of politics and social change.
Lamar, Kendrick. “Mortal Man”. online video clip. Youtube. Youtube, 26 Mar. 2015. Web. 28
Nov. 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmfWA3SdNpA
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A Call For Unity
In this song, Kendrick Lamar states that, “Unity” between African Americans will help
these minorities push for the end of discrimination.
Lamar, Kendrick. To Pimp a Butterfly. Santa Monica, California: Aftermath/Interscope, 2015.
CD.
Kendrick Lamar addresses the many problems which are affecting African Americans in
this album. He also describes a possible solution of unity.
LeRoy, Admiral. “The Black Community Must Find Unity.” Online News Journal. Pensacola
News Journal. N.p., 14 June 2014. Web.
In this article, Admiral LeRoy also believes that unity is needed in order to combat the
effects of discrimination in the United States. He states that African Americans have not
reached unity yet, due to their mentality. If a change in their mentality occurs, than unity
will come.
Marx, Karl, and Frederick Engels. The German Ideology. New York: International Publishers,
1970. Print.
Karl Marx and Frederick Engels argue that social problems are occurring in an era of
innovation because of the capitalist social structure.
Muniz, Ana. “Maintaining Racial Boundaries: Criminalization.” Social Problems 61.2 (2014):
216–236. Web.
This article provides evidence for how gang injunctions serve as a source of
discrimination against African Americans and gang members. It also demonstrates how
these laws make it easier for these individuals to get trapped in the cycle of mass
incarceration.
“Rise In Incarceration Rate” Photograph. Digital Image. Zevin.com.. N.p., 28 May 2015. Web. 03
Dec. 2015 .http://www.zevin.com/images/Rise%20in%20incarceration%20rate.png
This graph illustrates a rising problem in the African American communities. In the
Political Education classes, they will be able to discuss potential solutions to reduce/end
this form of discrimination.
“Still Image From South Central Los Angeles: Inside Voices” Photograph. Digital Image.
Vimeocdn.com. N.p., Web. 02 Dec.https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/132271086_640.jpg
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A Call For Unity
This still image of the documentary shows Lea Edwards who attempted to push African
American teens to join social programs. Her wanted to limit their involvement in gang
activities.
South Central Los Angeles: Inside Voices. Dir. Maxi Cohen. Prod. Maxi Cohen. Filmakers
Library, 1996. Filmakers Library Online. Web. 21 Nov. 2015. <http://
search.alexanderstreet.com/view/work/1784843>.
This documentary demonstrates real life effects of the L.A Riots in South Central Los
Angeles. The clip also addresses an attempt to stop black on black crime and the
continued animosity between gang members after the Watts Gang Truce.
Top Dawg Entertainment. “Kendrick Lamar- Reebok Ventilators”. online video clip. Youtube.
Youtube, 18 Jul. Web. 20 Nov. 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T2XcE9UhWI
In this interview, a member of the Crips gang and Blood gang come together to discuss
the unity Kendrick Lamar is portraying through his music. They believe that he is on the
right path to produce a unified black community.
“Youth Summit” Photograph. Digital Image. Streetgangs.com, N.p., 16 Nov. 2013. Web. 04 Dec.
2015. http://www.streetgangs.com/news/111613_youth_summit#sthash.5IAQfNl4.dpbs
This picture demonstrates how gang summits work to bring young black males together
to keep them off of the streets and to learn to respect each other.
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