“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
“How did the Black Arts
Movement in Chicago Influence
the Black Power Movement?”
Unit Plan by History teacher, Getsemani Nava
Barbara Jones-Hogu, “Rise and Take Control,” 1971.
Introduction
This unit introduces students to both the Black Power Movement as well as the Black Arts
Movement of Chicago. It is meant for an 11th-12th grade history classroom. This DBQ includes
background knowledge to scaffold student understanding of both movements. It also includes
excerpts of primary sources ranging from speeches to examples of visual arts of Chicago BAM.
Key Topics
Black Power Movement, Black Arts Movement (BAM) and its organizations, community activism
through art.
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“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Students Will Be Able To:
 Understand some of the various ideologies of the Black Power movement
 Describe and evaluate the impact that BAM had on the Black Power movement
 Know that Chicago was a hub for black artists that still leave a legacy in the city today
 Understand the ideas expressed through BAM artists and organizations like OBAC, AfriCOBRA,
Kuumba, and the South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC)
 Differentiate between primary and secondary sources
 Analyze primary source documents and art to support the idea that the BAM impacted and helped
spread the message, and empower the African-American community during the Black Power movement
 Write an argumentative essay, using the primary sources to express their ideas
Plan
Day 1:
 Introduce students to the topic; look at the question and analyze what it is asking.
 Look at the timeline of events to better understand the progress of both movements in the
country as well as in Chicago itself.
 Analyze art and discuss the importance of art in education and the messages art can send to
individuals and communities as a whole.
Day 2:
 Read the Historical Summary essay
 Answer the questions that accompany it
 Discuss the important ideas students need to understand in order to proceed
Day 3:
 Read Document A and B. Optional: follow-up by watching or listening to the speeches on
youtube.
 Analyze Documents A and B
 Answer the questions that accompany it, these will help students make solid interpretations of
the views of leaders like Malcolm X, and Stokely Carmichael
Day 4:
 Begin to view the Chicago BAM images (Documents D-F)
 Demonstrate how to conduct a formal art analysis (line, color, light, perspective) then consider
historical context to make meaning
 Analyze Document C and establish how organizations like Kuumba were communicating and
creating opportunities for empowerment to the community
 Optional: watch a brief video on the Wall of Respect. Produced by TVLand: https://
vimeo.com/9298332 and https://vimeo.com/25038341
Day 5:
 Continue to analyze the art (G-I)
 Have students talk about the art while thinking of the question posed by the DBQ
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“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Summary (continued)
Day 6: (Optional): Compare and Contrast the Dedication Poems by Gwendolyn Brooks
 Give students a brief history of who Gwendolyn Brooks was as well as the events connected to
these poems (The Chicago Picasso) and (The Wall of Respect Inauguration)
 Class can also compare the locations of these two events, the world wide stature of the artists,
etc.
 Discuss the messages Brooks was trying to convey at these events
 How do her poems connect to the question posed by the DBQ?
Day 7 and the rest of the Unit:
 Teacher can decide how much of the pre-writing, editing/peer editing/ final draft will take place
in and out of the classroom based on classroom needs.
CCSS
RH.11-12.1
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary adn secondary sources, connecting insights
gained from specific details toa n understanding of the test as a whole
RH.11-12.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary
that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
RH.11-12.3
Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with
textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain.
RH.11-12.7
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually,
quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
RH.11-12.10
By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 11-CCR text
complexity band independently and proficiently.
Materials



DBQ packet
Youtube (optional)
Art works which may be downloaded into powerpoint, or if students have computers, they may link
directly to the images (Documents D-I)
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“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
At a Glance
The black power movement stemmed from the non-violent civil rights movement led by Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. and others. This new movement called for an end to the reliance of the white man to
obtain rights, freedom, and equality. Leaders like Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael did not see
the effectiveness in a non-violent collaborative approach. Black artists in Chicago created artwork
and literature that expressed the beliefs, ideals, and frustrations of the black community during this
time of transition and continued struggle.
Timeline of Key Events
1940: South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC) is founded in Chicago
1952: Malcolm X begins speaking for the Nation of Islam
1955: Emmett Till is murdered in Mississippi, Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to move to the
back of bus; Montgomery Bus Boycott begins
1961: Margaret T.G. Burroughs founds the DuSable Museum
1964: President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Civil Rights Act, Malcolm X leaves Nation of Islam
1965: Malcolm X is assassinated, Watts Riots in Los Angeles
1966: Martin Luther King organizes in Chicago with the Chicago Freedom Movement, the
Illinois Black Panther Party is formed, Stokely Carmichael is elected chair of SNCC
1967: The Organization of Black American Culture (OBAC) is founded in Chicago, The Wall of
Respect is painted, the Black Panther Party is formed in Oakland, California; Detroit
Rebellion
1968: Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated, AFRICOBRA - African Commune of Bad Relevant
artists is founded in Chicago
1969: Fred Hampton is assassinated
LAUNCH: Art and Music in Public Education
Public Schools in large inner-cities have long suffered economic difficulties. Many times the
resources for students can be affected. Art and music are subjects that are not tested in
standardized tests like the ACT, and many times are the first to be cut from a schools budget.
Are subjects like art and music necessary for elementary and high school students?





What do you feel you have gained from your art and music classes?
Why are they important?
How are they linked to the world around you?
Should they be cut from educational systems when money is scarce?
What would students lose if these kinds of classes were cut?
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“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Let's Look at Some Examples of Art
The following images are portions of a mural by the Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros and
Charles White, a black Chicago artist and member of the first generation of BAM artists. White
travelled to Mexico and met Siqueiros in a Graphic Art workshop (Taller de Grafica) in 1947. Before
meeting Siqueiros directly, White had been taught muralism by Mitchell Siporin and Edward Millman
who had been students of Siqueiros in the late 1930s.
"Mexico was a milestone. I saw artists working to create an art about and for the people.
This has been the strongest influence in my whole approach. It clarified the direction in
which I wanted to move."
Charles White, on his experience in Mexico
Use the analysis worksheet
available on BAM resource
page.
LEFT
Charles White,
Contribution of the Negro to
Democracy in America, 1943,
Egg tempera (fresco secco)
Hampton University Museum
and Archives
BELOW
David Alfaro Siqueiros, De la
dictadura de Porfirio Díaz a la
Revolución, 1957-1965,
Museo Nacional de Historia
del Castillo de Chapultepec
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“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Let's Look at Some Examples of Art
(continued)
 What are some of the special features of murals?
 What is the artist's purpose when painting a mural vs. a painting?
 From what you know about Siqueiros' mural, what do you think he was trying to
communicate? To whom?
 From what you know about African-American history, what do you think White was
trying to communicate? To whom?

Using Venn diagram above, note how the works of Siqueiros and White are similar and
different.

How do communities or students benefit from art like this?
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“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Historical Summary of the Black Power and the Chicago Black Arts Movement
The exact beginning of the Black Power
Movement, like that of the Civil Rights
Movement, is debatable. Some argue that its
beginnings may be traced to June 1966 at a
march in Mississippi led by Stokely
Carmichael, chair of SNCC (Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee). This is where the
term was first used in a political context. But the
term "Black Power" and some of the ideologies
of the movement had already been heard in
speeches from Malcolm X before he was
assassinated in 1965. The African-American
writer, Richard Wright used the term in his book
Black Power (1954).
The Black Power movement had many
facets. For instance, people like Carmichael and
Malcolm X thought Dr. King's non-violence
movement was not working. They promoted self
-reliance, and black nationalism and thought
blacks should not have to depend on white
politicians or white people in general to obtain
the rights and freedoms that the AfricanAmerican community deserved. This was
possible by the black community working alone,
and taking measures if necessary to defend
themselves. Others had a Pan-African view,
which promoted the unity of Blacks all over the
world. Some Black Panthers supported Marxist
analyses which proclaimed it was a fight against
a system of class in which the small wealthy
class was economically oppressing the poor and
working class.
Whatever the focus of African-American
individuals and groups were, the black power
movement had an impact on society from
supporting the black business sector, to
increasing the number of black voters, to getting
blacks elected into office, as well as pushing to
incorporate black studies into university and
high school courses. Cultural impacts were
equally present. From the pride in the "black is
beautiful" of the afro to musicians and poets
proclaiming their struggles in an unapologetic
tone. And, as is stated in the question of this
DBQ, the Black Arts Movement (BAM) was born
and was an important voice for artists and the
community in general.
Photographers on the steps of the SSCAC, 1973, Photo by
Ovie Carter for the Chicago Daily News.
The Organization of Black American Culture
OBAC (pronounced oh-baa-see) was born in
Chicago and was an important part of the BAM.
This was a group of artists, writers, and
educators whose mission was to support the
expression of ideas through art. One of the most
important accomplishments was the "Wall of
Respect" a mural that displayed the faces of
important leaders and events for the black
community.
The efforts of OBAC led to other projects
such as Kuumba, the first black theater in
Chicago. Another organization that stemmed
from OBAC was AfriCOBRA, or the African
Commune of Bad Relevant Artists. AfriCOBRA
artists like Jeff Donaldson and Barbara JonesHogu wanted black visual arts to be just as
much a part of the BAM as other forms of
African-American art such as music and dance.
The center hub for many of these activities was
the Southside Community Art Center (SSCAC).
The SSCAC, founded during the Black Chicago
Renaissance of the 1940s, was a place where
black artists could do their work and have their
art displayed. Both Margaret Burroughs
(founder of the DuSable Museum) and Charles
White were involved in their youth. It was also a
place where the community could gather for
lectures, or workshops, and view African and
African-American art.
So, what role did black artists and the
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“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Information you should understand that will help you develop a claim
1. Explain some of the ideologies of the leaders of the black power movement, such as
self- reliance and black nationalism.
2. How do ideas like Pan-Africanism and "black is beautiful" strengthen a community?
3. What political impacts did the black power movement have?
4. What cultural impacts did the black power movement have?
5. What seems to be a collective goal of BAM organizations like OBAC, AfriCOBRA, and
Kuumba?
6. Why are places like the SSCAC so important for a community? How do places like SSCAC
relate to the discussion we had concerning arts and music in public schools?
Information you should understand that will help you develop a claim
Before you start looking at the documents...
 think back to our discussion on the importance of art in schools
 remember your thoughts on the purpose of art and the messages it can convey
 keep in mind the various messages and impacts of the black power movement
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“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Document A
Malcolm X "It shall be the ballot or the bullet" Washington Heights, NY, March 29, 1964
..."One of the reasons that it is bad for us to continue to just refer to ourselves as the so-called
Negro, that's negative. When we say so-called Negro that's pointing out what we aren't, but it
isn't telling us what we are. We are Africans, and we happen to be in America. We are not
Americans. We are people who formerly were Africans who were kidnapped and brought to
America. Our forefathers weren't the Pilgrims. We didn't' land on Plymouth rock: the rock was
landed on us. We were not brought here to enjoy the constitutional gifts that they speak so
beautifully about today. Because we weren't brought here to be made citizens--today now that
we've become awakened to some degree, and we begin to ask for those things which they say
are supposedly for all Americans, they look upon us with a hostility and unfriendliness...The first
step for those who believe in the philosophy of Black Nationalism is to realize that the problem
begins right here...It was nationalism that brought freedom to the people of Uganda and
Tanganyika, and Sudan and Somaliland...They have studied the tactics and the strategy and
the message of all of the African nations who have emerged and won their independence. And
they have seen that Africans did not get it by sitting in. They did not get it by waiting in. They
did not get it by singing, "We Shall Overcome;" they got it through nationalism...If you're
interested in freedom, you need some judo, you need some karate--you need all the things that
will help you fight for freedom. If we don't resort to the bullet, then immediately we have to take
steps to use the ballot..."
1. What are some reasons that Malcolm X claims they (blacks) are not Americans?
2. Why does he believe that black nationalism is the only route to gaining freedom and rights?
3. What does he mean when he says "if we don't resort to the bullet, then immediately we have to
take steps to use the ballot...?"
4. As you later view the art of the BAM (Black Arts Movement), think back to the argument of
Malcolm X.
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“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Document B
Stokely Carmichael: Berkeley Speech, University of California, Berkeley, October, 1966
"...I maintain that every civil rights bill in this country was passed for white people, not for black
people for example, I am black. I know that, I also know that while I am black I am a human being. Therefore I have the right to go into any public place. White people didn't know that. Every
time I tried to go into a public place they stopped me. So some boys had to write a bill to tell the
white man, 'he's a human being; don't stop him.' That bill was for the white man, not for me. I
knew I could vote all the time and that it wasn't a privilege but my right. Every time I tried I was
shot, killed or jailed, beaten or economically deprived. So somebody had to write a bill to tell
white people, 'When a black man come to vote, don't bother him.' That bill was for white people.
I know I can live anyplace I want to live. It is white people across the country who are incapable
of allowing me to live where I want. You need a civil rights bill, not me. The failure of the civil
rights bill isn't' because of Black Power or because of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee or because of the rebellions that are occurring in the major cities. The failure is due to the
whites' incapacity to deal with their own problems inside their own communities...Can white people move inside their own community and start tearing down racism where in fact it exists? It is
you who live in Cicero and stopped us from living there. White people stopped us from moving
into Grenada, Miss. White people make sure that we live in the ghettos of this country. White
institutions do that. They must change. In order for America to really live on a basic principle of
human relationships, a new society must be born. Racism must die. The economic exploitation
by this country of non-white people around the world must also die..."
1. What are some things Stokely Carmichael believes that "he," (meaning the entire black
community) knew long ago?
2. Why does he argue that the laws like the Civil Rights Bill and the Emancipation Proclamation
were written for the white man in the United States?
3. What does Carmichael believe is the biggest problem with racism in the United States? What
does he believe is needed in order to end racism?
4. As you later view the art of the BAM (Black Arts Movement), think back to the argument made by
by Stokely Carmichael.
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Document C
Kuumba Kalendar, 1973, Leonard Wash Papers, Vivian G. Harsh Collection, Chicago Public Library
1. How do the artistic events of Kuumba connect the community to the Black Power movement?
2. In what ways was Kuumba trying to empower the community?
3. How could this document help you answer the question, "How did the Black Arts Movement of
Chicago influence the Black Power Movement?"
Chicago Metro History Education Center / Visual Arts of the Black Arts Movement in Chicago
“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Documents D-F
Directions: The chart below should be used to take notes as you view the art.
Doc
Photograph of Art
Title
Artist
http://luna.lib.uchicago.edu/luna/
servlet/s/13ga8x
OBSERVE:
Wall of
Respect
1967
D
Notes
Various
OBAC
Artists;
Photographer:
Robert
Sengstacke
REFLECT:
QUESTION:
http://luna.lib.uchicago.edu/luna/
servlet/s/g561kb
OBSERVE:
Unite
1971
E
Barbara
JonesHogu
REFLECT:
QUESTION:
http://luna.lib.uchicago.edu/luna/
servlet/s/44s6gr
F
OBSERVE:
Uphold
Your
Men:
Unify
Your
Families
1971
REFLECT:
Carolyn
Lawrence
QUESTION:
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“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Documents G-I
Directions: The chart below should be used to take notes as you view the art.
Doc
Photograph of Art
Title
Artist
Notes
OBSERVE:
Prize
Fighters
1972
G
REFLECT:
Yaounde
Olu
QUESTION:
http://luna.lib.uchicago.edu/luna/
servlet/s/06gw97
OBSERVE:
Third
World
Man
1974
H
REFLECT:
John Sibley
QUESTION:
http://luna.lib.uchicago.edu/luna/
servlet/s/1y8l36
I
OBSERVE:
Ala
Shango
1969
REFLECT:
Jeff
Donaldson
QUESTION:
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“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Documents J (Optional)
Gwendolyn Brooks: Two Dedications
The Chicago Picasso and The Wall (1967)
Note: Gwendolyn Brooks was invited to write a poem for both dedications.
I. The Chicago Picasso
August 15, 1967
"Mayor Daley tugged a white ribbon, loosing the
blue percale wrap. A hearty cheer went up as the
covering slipped off the big steel sculpture that
looks at once like a bird and a woman."
–Chicago Sun–Times
(Seiji Ozawa leads the Symphony.
The Mayor smiles.
And 50,000 See.)
Does man love Art? Man visits Art, but squirms.
Art hurts. Art urges voyages–
and it is easier to stay at home,
the nice beer ready.
In common rooms
we belch, or sniff, or scratch.
Are raw.
1. What feelings are expressed about art
in "The Chicago Picasso Poem"?
2. Who is Brooks referring to, when she
says "the tall cold of a Flower, which is
as innocent and as guilty..."?
But we must cook ourselves and style ourselves for Art, who
is a requiring courtesan.
We squirm.
We do not hug the Mona Lisa.
3. What lines in "The Wall" do you feel
We
express feelings or ideas of the Black
may touch or tolerate
Power movement, why?
an astounding fountain, or a horse–and–rider.
At most, another Lion.
Observe the tall cold of a Flower
which is as innocent and as guilty,
as meaningful and as meaningless as any
other flower in the western field.
4. What lines in this poem describe the
impact that art is having on the Black
Power movement, and the community?
5. What differences do you see in the
two poems?
Chicago Metro History Education Center / Visual Arts of the Black Arts Movement in Chicago
“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Documents J (Optional)
Gwendolyn Brooks: Two Dedications
The Chicago Picasso and The Wall (1967)
Note: Gwendolyn Brooks was invited to write a poem for both dedications.
II. The Wall
August 27, 1967
honed cult.
It is the Hour of tribe and of vibration,
the day–long Hour. It is the Hour
of ringing, rouse, of ferment–festival.
For Edward Christmas
“This side wall of a typical slum building on
the
Corner of 43rd and Langley became a mural
communicating black dignity…”
- Ebony
A drumdrumdrum.
Humbly we come.
South of success and east of gloss and glass
are
sandals;
flowercloth;
grave hoops of wood or gold, pendant
from black ears, brown ears, reddish–brown
and ivory ears;
black boy–men.
Black
boy–men on roofs fist out "Black Power!" Val,
a little black stampede
in African
images of brass and flowerswirl,
fists out "Black Power!"–tightens pretty eyes,
leans back on mothercountry and is tract,
is treatise through her perfect and tight teeth.
Women in wool hair chant their poetry.
Phil Cohran gives us messages and music
made of developed bone and polished and
On Forty–third and Langley
black furnaces resent ancient
legislatures
of ploy and scruple and practical gelatin.
They keep the fever in,
fondle the fever.
All
worship the Wall.
I mount the rattling wood. Walter
says, "She is good." Says, "She
our Sister is." In front of me
hundreds of faces, red–brown, brown, black,
ivory,
yield me hot trust, their yea and their
Announcement
that they are ready to rile the high-flung ground.
Behind me, Paint
Heroes.
No child has defiled
the Heroes of this Wall this serious Appointment
this still Wing
this Scald this Flute this heavy Light this Hinge.
an emphasis is paroled.
the old decapitations are revised,
the dispossessions beakless.
And we sing.
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“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Documents K (Optional)
The Rise, Fall and Legacy of the Wall of Respect Movement by Jeff Donaldson
The Organization of Black American Culture (OBAC)
The Organization of Black American Culture was founded by a group of scientists,
historians, academics, writers, and artists in May 1967. The organization's goal was
"to organize and coordinate an artistic cadre in support of the 1960's bare-bones
struggle for freedom, justice and equality of opportunity for African Americans in the
United States." The group formed workshops for writers and for visual artists, and
acted in coalition with local Chicago creative organizations.
It was the visual artists' workshop, a group of fifteen men and women, that developed
the plan for the Wall. As a collective, they determined that they should produce one
collective, collaborative work as a contribution to the community. Viewing cultural
expression as a "useful weapon in the struggle for black liberation," the artists chose
to depict "Black Heroes" as positive role models for identity, community formation,
and revolutionary action.
Goals and Development of the Wall
The creation of the Wall proceeded with three particular considerations in mind:
 There were to be no artists' names or signatures affixed to the Wall.
 The artists' relations with the media would be carried out as a collective, meaning
that any public statements would require consensus.
 The Wall was owned by the community, and so no individual or group could
attempt to benefit from the attention surrounding the Wall.
The project was conceived of as a "guerrilla mural," since the owner of the building
was never contacted about the proposal and a policy of non-cooperation with the
media was adopted. Community support from the residents in the surrounding
neighborhood was the only consent the OBAC group was concerned with.
The Wall was painted with figures the community had approved, in a variety of styles
but with some established color and composition standards. While work was going on,
individuals from within and without the community came to watch and participate in the
artistic work—the Wall became a site for impromptu musical or dance performances,
poetry readings, and spoken word events...
Chicago Metro History Education Center / Visual Arts of the Black Arts Movement in Chicago
“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Document K (Optional)
The Rise, Fall and Legacy of the Wall of Respect Movement by Jeff Donaldson
1. What seems to be the most important factor for the creation and the purpose of the Wall of
Respect, as far as OBAC was concerned?
2. What were some of the "activities" that OBAC held in order to fulfill this mission?
3. What is outlined in OBAC's considerations that proves your answer to question 1?
4. How does OBAC's "defiance" or "civil disobedience" support the idea that the Black Arts
Movement in Chicago had an impact on the Black Power movement?
Chicago Metro History Education Center / Visual Arts of the Black Arts Movement in Chicago
“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Document L (Optional)
“The History, Philosophy and Aesthetics of AfriCOBRA” by Barbara Jones-Hogu
In 1968, a group of artists came together at the request of Jeff Donaldson in the studio
of Wadsworth Jarrell to discuss the premise that Black visual art has innate and
intrinsic creative components which are characteristic of our ethnic group. The artists
who were present at the meeting consisted of painters, printmakers, textile designers,
dress designers, photographers and sculptors who felt that their visual expression was
definitely affected by the fact that they were Black and that their Blackness contributed
a specific quality to their visual expression. Many of the artists at the first meeting were
members of a visual art group which was then defunct, the Visual Workshop of OBAC
(Organization of Black American Culture)—who created the Wall of Respect in
Chicago in 1967. This mural became a visual symbol of Black nationalism and
liberation...
... When we had found our common denominators our next step was to ponder
whether a group of Black artists could transcend the “I” or “me” for the “us” and “we” in
order to create a basic philosophy which would be the foundation of a visual Black art
movement. We wanted to create a greater role as Black artists who were not for self
but for our kind. Could we sacrifice the wants of self and ego in order to create the
needed positive visual images of our people? Yes, we can!...
... We moved from a national perspective to an international perspective. All Black
people regardless of their land base have the same problems, the control of land and
economics by Europeans or Euro-Americans.
The change from COBRA to AFRICOBRA also crystallized our philosophy and
aesthetics, such as:
The Philosophical Concepts :
1. IMAGES, a commitment to humanism, inspired by African people and their
experience, IMAGES which perform some function which African people can
relate to directly and experience. The art is the people, people reflect their art, and
the art is for the people, not for the critics.
2. IDENTIFICATION, to define and clarify our commitment as a people to the
struggles of African peoples who are waging war for survival and liberation.
3. PROGRAMMATIC, art which deals with concepts that offer positive and feasible
solutions to our individual, local, national, and international problems.
4. MODES OF EXPRESSION, that lend themselves to economical mass production
techniques such as “Poster Art” so that everyone that wants one can have one.
5. EXPRESSIVE AWESOMENESS, that which does not appeal to serenity but is
concerned with the eternally sublime, rather than ephemeral beauty. Art which
moves the emotions and appeals to the senses....
Chicago Metro History Education Center / Visual Arts of the Black Arts Movement in Chicago
“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Document L (Optional)
The History, Philosophy and Aesthetics of AFRICOBRA by Barbara Jones-Hogu
1. What similarities do you see in the goals of OBAC and AFRICOBRA?
2. Are there any differences you can point out? If so, what are they?
3. How does the addition of "AFRI" affect the impact of this organization?
4. In what ways do the ideals of AFRICOBRA seem more purposely connected to the
Black Power Movement?
Before you begin writing your essay . . .
Think back to the question for this DBQ
Re-Write the Question Here:
Chicago Metro History Education Center / Visual Arts of the Black Arts Movement in Chicago
“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Before you begin writing your essay . . .
Think back to the question for this DBQ.
Re-write the question, turning it into a THESIS statement and then answering the question
using your own conclusions:
What are some ideas that could help support your claim, or thesis?
Reasons that help support your thesis:
Documents that can be used:
Chicago Metro History Education Center / Visual Arts of the Black Arts Movement in Chicago
“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Essay Outline
Introduction Paragraph:
Introduction Sentence (This should attract your readers to read the rest of your essay):
Thesis:
Reasons that validate your thesis (give a brief explanation of why they are important):
Conclusion Sentence (Re-state the importance of your thesis):
Body Paragraph 1:
Main Idea (Explain the importance of this idea and how it supports your thesis):
Cite at least one document that connects to your main idea:
Explain the importance of the document and how it connects to the main idea:
Body Paragraph 2:
Main Idea (Explain the importance of this idea and how it supports your thesis):
Cite at least one document that connects to your main idea:
Explain the importance of the document and how it connects to the main idea:
Chicago Metro History Education Center / Visual Arts of the Black Arts Movement in Chicago
“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Essay Outline
(continued)
Body Paragraph 3:
Main Idea (Explain the importance of this idea and how it supports your thesis):
Cite at least one document that connects to your main idea:
Explain the importance of the document and how it connects to the main idea:
Conclusion:
Re-state your thesis:
Explain the reasons your thesis is valid:
Make a connection to the present or an impact your thesis still has in today's world:
Chicago Metro History Education Center / Visual Arts of the Black Arts Movement in Chicago
“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Assessment Rubric
INTRODUCTORY
PARAGRAPH
3 points
2 points
1 point
0 points
Writer provides sufficient background
information and
effectively sets the
scene
The writer provides
some background
information, but is
missing important
details to effectively
set the scene.
The writer tries, but
does not provide
background information and does not
set the scene
The writer does
not attempt to
write an introductory paragraph
The thesis is clear
with 3 compelling
reasons
The writer attempted
to write a thesis, but
it is not clear.
The writer did not
write a thesis.
THESIS/CLAIM
EVIDENCEBody Paragraph #1
The evidence supports the claim and
is in the writer’s
own words.
The evidence supports the claim, but it
is copied from the
text.
The evidence does
not support the
claim.
CONNECTION/
WARRANT
Body Paragraph #1
There is a clear
connection made
between the claim
and evidence
There is a weak connection made between the claim and
evidence.
No connection is
made between the
claim and evidence.
EVIDENCEBody Paragraph #2
The evidence supports the claim and
is in the writer’s
own words.
The evidence supports the claim, but it
is copied from the
text.
The evidence does
not support the
claim.
CONNECTION/
WARRANT
Body Paragraph #2
There is a clear
connection made
between the claim
and evidence
There is a weak connection made between the claim and
evidence.
No connection is
made between the
claim and evidence.
EVIDENCEBody Paragraph #3
The evidence supports the claim and
is in the writer’s
own words.
The evidence supports the claim, but it
is copied from the
text.
The evidence does
not support the
claim.
CONNECTION/
WARRANT
Body Paragraph #3
There is a clear
connection made
between the claim
and evidence
There is a weak connection made between the claim and
evidence.
No connection is
made between the
claim and evidence.
There are not any
grammar mistakes.
There are a few
grammar mistakes,
but they don’t get in
the way of understanding.
There are a lot of
grammar mistakes
that make the paragraph hard to read.
GRAMMAR
Chicago Metro History Education Center / Visual Arts of the Black Arts Movement in Chicago
“Black Arts Movement and Black Power in Chicago”
Sources
Barnwell, Andrea D., "Charles White (David C. Driskell Series of African American Art, V. 1),"
Pomegranate Communications, Portland, 2003
Bernal, Gabriela "Del Porfirismo a la Revolucion" Analisis histografico del fin de un movimiento,
Universidad Autonoma de Zacatecas, Ideas Presentes: Revista Estudiantil de Historia, Enero 7,
2014 ideaspresentes.com
Carmichael, Stokely Stokely Speaks: Black Power Back to Pan-Africanism, Vintage Books: A Division of Random House, New York, 1971
Donaldson, Jeff., "AFRICOBRA Manifesto?: Ten In Search of a Nation," Journal of Contemporary
African Art; Spring 2012, Vol. 2012 Issue 30, p76
AMDOCS: Documents for the Study of American History-Malcolm X warns, "it shall be the ballot
or the bullet“ http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/speeches/malcolm_x_ballot.html
Fuller, Hoyt W., "Towards A Black Aesthetic", Anchor Books, 2011
Jones-Hogu, Barbara “Inaugurating AfriCOBRA: History, Philosophy, Aesthetics,” Nka:
Journal of Contemporary African Art, Number 30, Spring 2012, 90-97.
Parks, Carole A., NOMMO: A Literary Legacy of Black Chicago (1967-1987), An Anthology of the
OBAC Writers' Workshop, OBAhouse,
Peniel, Joseph E., "Waiting 'til the Midnight Hour; A Narrative History of Black Power in America",
Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2006
The Wall of Respect: www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu/wallofrespect/main.htm
The South Side Community Arts Center - Chicago: www.sscartcenter.org
AfriCOBRA: AfriCOBRA.com
"Kuumba Kalendar" calendar of events from Leonard Wash papers, Vivian G. Harsh Collection,
Chicago Public Libraries
Art used on Page 1 and Documents D-I may be found at: South Side Community Arts Center Digital Collection at the University of Chicago: http://luna.lib.uchicago.edu/luna/servlet . For Educational Purposes Only.
Chicago Metro History Education Center / Visual Arts of the Black Arts Movement in Chicago