The Black power fist has long been recognized as a symbol of both resistance and unity. It has provided the Black community with the support and motivation needed to take action against systemic racism and continue the fight for equality within America. By tracing the gesture’s evolution from the early 1960s until present day, the timeline strives to provide insight into the origins of the fist’s use in the United States and its sustained purpose of mobilizing communities for change. ;xNLx;;xNLx;The earliest known use of the raised fist can be traced to the French Revolution of 1848, when a series of political upheavals erupted across Europe, motivating the public to implement the fist as a symbol of “determination” and their “will to fight” against the European monarchies (1). Over the years, the fist’s use spread to anti-Fascist movements in Nazi Germany and supporters of the Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War (2). While the fist gesture has been co-opted by various political groups and social movements, including the Feminist movement and the LGBTQ community, as well as by white nationalists, this timeline serves to remind viewers of the sociocultural significance of the gesture within Black communities as they have fought for civil rights throughout American history and utilized the Black Power Salute to fight for Black empowerment (3). ;xNLx;;xNLx;In the Red Summer of 1919, many African-Americans moved north during the Great Migration to escape the violence of the former Confederacy and to seek better opportunities following World War I. This led to an increase in uprisings which ultimately sparked the fight for racial equality (4). After the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, in which the Greenwood District of Oklahoma, known also as Black Wall Street, was destroyed by white mobs aided by complicit local police, Black Americans turned to civil rights organizations across the country to fight racial injustice in America. This included the NAACP, which grew to over 500,000 members by 1945, and the United Negro Improvement Association led by Marcus Garvey, which facilitated the fight for racial justice and self-determination within the African-American community (5). ;xNLx;;xNLx;Following World War II and the Great Depression, the fight for racial equality continued to grow and evolve. Black Americans organized politically, holding the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, fought for fair employment practices and to end to white supremacy, and pushed for democracy abroad under the Double V Campaign. Both peaceful and violent protest became a way for African Americans to actively combat racism and resist the unjust state of society during the mid-20th century. ;xNLx;;xNLx;The 1960's was characterized by grassroots organizing within communities combatting racial discrimination and segregation. These issues affected all aspects of daily life including employment, transportation, commerce, and housing. The race riots in places like Tulsa and Chicago were sparked by white mobs. In contrast, the turn of the 1960s saw more African-Americans leading demonstrations and protests across both Northern and Southern states. During this time, the Black power fist became “shorthand for public identification with the new black consciousness” and an “expression of racial, cultural, and political solidarity” exchanged between men and women of all age groups (6).;xNLx;;xNLx;In 2013, the Black Lives Matter Movement was founded by civil rights activists, Opal Tometi, Patrisse Cullors, and Alicia Garza after the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by a neighborhood watchman in Florida the year before. This Movement has repopularized the Black Power fist in contemporary society and retains its significance as a gesture of resistance against police brutality. Today, social media has become a crucial platform that has allowed members of the Black community to mobilize across states and continents. The Black power fist has grown into an internationally recognized symbol within the Black community and beyond. The symbol acknowledges our collective continued fight against the unjust state violence enacted upon Black people specifically in the United States.;xNLx;;xNLx;Works Cited: ;xNLx;1. “A Brief History of the Raised Fist.” The Black Sheep Agency, theblacksheepagency.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-the-raised-fist. ;xNLx;2. Schukar, Photograph by Alyssa, et al. “The History of the Raised Fist, a Global Symbol of Fighting Oppression.” National Geographic, 5 Nov. 2020, www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/history-and-civilisation/2020/08/the-history-of-the-raised-fist-a-global-symbol-of-fighting.;xNLx;3. The Black Sheep Agency;xNLx;4. Photos, Photograph by Fox, et al. “The History of the Raised Fist, a Global Symbol of Fighting Oppression.” National Geographic, 31 July 2020, www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/07/history-of-raised-fist-global-symbol-fighting-oppression/. ;xNLx;5. Photos, Photograph by Fox, et al. “The History of the Raised Fist, a Global Symbol of Fighting Oppression.” National Geographic, 31 July 2020, www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/07/history-of-raised-fist-global-symbol-fighting-oppression/. ;xNLx;6. Joseph, Peniel E. “The Many Meanings of a Fist.” CHE, CHE, 23 July 2020, www.chronicle.com/article/the-many-meanings-of-a-fist/.
This image was taken by photographer, Reverend Henry Clay Anderson (1911 - 1998) who was known for documenting the segregated African American community in postwar Greenville, Mississippi from the late 1940s until the 1970s. In addition to working as a photographer, he was a minister who supported African Americans by helping them pass their literacy tests to obtain voter’s cards. This image shows us Anderson’s motivation to capture the existence of the thriving middle-class African American communities present throughout the South at the time.
This image was taken by photographer Leonard Freed. Born to working-class Jewish parents in Brooklyn, New York, Freed utilized photography to explore racial discrimination and societal violence as he covered the American Civil Rights Movement.
This image depicts two men in military fatigues raising the fist as their attention is directed towards the photographer, James Edward Brown I. In spite of their environment—from this image we can discern that the subjects are military personnel stationed in Vietnam during the war—these men appear in light spirit as they gaze at the viewer smiling with their fists raised high.
This image depicts two men in military fatigues raising the fist as their attention is directed towards the photographer, James Edward Brown I. In spite of their environment—from this image we can discern that the subjects are military personnel stationed in Vietnam during the war—these men appear in light spirit as they gaze at the viewer smiling with their fists raised high.
Description: "Stokely Carmichael of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee is shown in this 1967 photo. Carmichael made the phrase ``black power'' a rallying cry of the civil rights upheavals of the 1960s."
On April 19, 1967, Stokely Carmichael spoke to 4,000 students at Garfield High School in Seattle, Washington. As the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Carmichael’s controversial speech urged the African-American students at the school to unite as he advocated for Black pride and coined the term “Black power.”
This image was taken by photographer Anthony Barboza in Palatha, Florida in 1968 and illustrates an older man raising his left hand to shoulder height in the shape of a fist. After joining the U.S. Navy in 1965, Barboza served as a photographer for the Naval Air Station Pensacola newspaper, the Gosport, in Pensacola, Florida. Throughout his career, and alongside his work with the Kamoinge Workshop, Barboza continued to face discrimination from the industry, as African-Americans were rarely found in decison-making positions during the 1980s. This motivated Barboza to more critically consider his role as a Black photographer in society. In this image, we see how Barboza portrays this Black individual in a stoic, uplifting light which showcases the unspoken bond between the photographer and subject, and the respect for the subject’s gesture.
Included in the series, A Photo Essay on the Black Panthers, 1968, this image was taken by documentary photographer, Pirkle Jones. He, along with his wife, spent 1968 and 1969 photographing the Black Panthers at their rallies and shining a new light on their mission. While the majority of media painted the Black Panther Party as “the greatest threat to the internal security of the United States,” Pirkle’s imagery began to uncover how severely ill-informed they had been. This image, portraying six African-American women with their fists raised in the air, shows the power and energy of the rallies. This energy partially inspired Pirkle and his wife continue to photograph in hopes to correct the injustices in the country.
This image was taken by American photojournalist, Burk Uzzle, who is known for capturing iconic moments in U.S. history including Woodstock, peace demonstrations, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral as seen here. The raised fists here allude to the notion that hope would not be lost despite MLK’s death. In this image, we see the quote “a fire that no water could put out” from King’s final speech before his assassination come to fruition in the perseverance and resilience of the Black community.
Description: “Black U.S. Marine artillerymen greet each other in passing with clenched fists at Con Thien, a large base south of the DMZ, in Vietnam, in Dec. 1968 during the Vietnam War.” In the face of MLK’s death, many African-American soldiers in Vietnam began to embrace the Black power movement. They formed organizations including the Concerned Veterans Association, Black Brothers United, the Minority Servicemen’s Association, the Zulu 1200s, De Mau Mau, and the Black Liberation Front of the Armed Forces to protect themselves and establish representation for their collective interests.”
This image depicts two Black Yale University cheerleaders raising their fists at a Yale-Harvard football game in 1968. This moment was significant because it was captured during a racially charged time in which MLK had just been assassinated, U.S. athletes had protested at the Summer Olympics, and the Civil Rights Movement was at its peak. This image symbolizes the tumultuous climate of this era and the African-American fight for equality in a nation that was extremely divided.
Taken during the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, this iconic image documents two Black athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, with raised fists as they accept their medals on the Olympic podium. While this gesture exemplified a symbol of Black power and the human rights movement as a whole, it caused massive controversy in the public eye which proved detrimental to their careers. Captured at the height of the Civil Rights movement when racial tensions were at an all time high, Smith and Carlos wanted to establish an active form of protest that emphasized their support for Black nationalism and decisive action rather than incremental change.
Description: “American Black Power leader Robert Williams, left, wearing a Mao-type hat and a Chinese-style suit, and his lawyer Milton Henry, raise their fists in the Black Power salute as they board a TWA Boeing 707 for Detroit at Heathrow Airport in London, Sept. 12, 1969. The flight was put on especially for Williams by TWA (Trans World Airlines), who refused to carry him when he arrived at Heathrow. It took off 95 minutes ahead of schedule after a request from America to bring the flight departure forward.”
In this image, we see members of the Black Panther Party protesting for the release of co-founder, Huey Newton. In 1967, Newton was arrested for “allegedly killing an Oakland police officer.” While he was sentenced to 2-15 years in prison, public pressure under the “Free Huey” slogan ultimately led to his release in 1970.
The Black Panther Party was founded in 1966 by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton as a political organization aimed at combating police brutality against the African-American community in the United States. During its peak in 1968, the Party had approximately 2,000 members. Founded in the wake of Malcom X’s assassination, the group worked to institute social programs, engage in political events, and monitor police activity as they advocated for community control, unification for civil rights, and Black pride.
This image was taken by Herbert Danska, a film director and producer born in 1926. This particular film of his was described as a “compelling record of radical Black sentiment in 1960s America, and a precursor of the hip-hop revolution in musical culture.” Featuring the Last Poets, one of the most influential spoken-word collectives, the film’s producer described its content as the “first totally Black film,” making “no concession in language and symbolism to white audiences.”
This image was taken by Pulitzer prize winner and photojournalist, John H. White in the 1970s. White was one of the first Black photographers to work for an American daily newspaper, the Chicago Sun-Times. White is known for his well-composed, subversive images of daily life in Chicago and his ability to capture the soul and overwhelming presence of the Black community in his documentary imagery.
Description: “At a vigil on the New Haven Green Tuesday, August 26, 1970, supporters raised their fists while chanting "Free Lonnie Mclucas.” Mclucas, a Black Panther member, was being tried in the courthouse directly behind and across the street from the speakers platform. He was charged in connection with the death of a fellow Panther the year before.”
Description: “Huey P. Newton, national defense minister of the Black Panther Party, raises his clenched fist behind the podium as he speaks at a convention sponsored by the Black Panthers at Temple University's McGonigle Hall in Philadelphia, PA, Saturday, Sept. 5, 1970. Newton is protected by members of the party who served as security guards. The audience gathered is estimated at 6,000 people with another thousand outside the crowded hall.”
Description: “One of the mules used to pull a wagon in the march from Perry, Georgia to Atlanta perks his ears as demonstrators shout “Soul Power” at a brief rally before the March for Peace in Perry on May 19, 1970. The march was conducted by the Coalition against Repression and demanded an end to the Vietnam War.”
Description: “In this Feb. 2, 1971 file photo, Rev. Jesse Jackson raises a clenched fist from the back of a police van after he and 11 others from Operation Breadbasket were arrested during a sit-in at the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co., offices in New York City. The organization, part of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, has been protesting A&P's alleged discrimination against African Americans.”
This color poster was created by postwar and contemporary artist Richard McCrary and illustrates a black and white image of Angela Davis presumably speaking to a crowd while raising a clenched fist. McCrary designed this poster for the New York Committee to Free Angela Davis in 1971. In the top left corner there is also a poem written by McCrary which reads: "Angela, Yes You Are A Black Woman - And I Want It / To Be Known; / The Only Thing You're Guilty Of, Is Being A Black / Woman, To The Bone / For Such Beauty To Be Held Captive Is Really No / Mystery; / It Is Because You Are A Black Woman, / Truly Black Enough For Me. / Poetry By / Richard McCrary © 1971"
Description: “Inmates of Attica state prison in upstate New York raise their fists to show solidarity in their demands during a negotiation session with state prisons Commissioner Russell Oswald, Sept. 10, 1971. Although amnesty was the stumbling block that derailed negotiations during the uprising 49 years ago, resulting in 43 deaths, amnesty was what nearly everyone got. The legal battle spawned by the Attica riot continues today, and almost no one has yet been held responsible for their part in the tragedy.”
Description: “Black Panther Bobby Seale is shown in this photo taken in New Haven, Connecticut on May 28, 1971, walking free after serving 21 months in prison. Seale returned to New Haven after this image was taken to attend the International Festival of Arts and Ideas forum. Seale, who lived in Philadelphia, was scheduled on Wednesday, June 20, 2001, to return to the courtroom to speak with students who had been studying the case.”
Description: “Angela Davis waves to someone in the audience as she enters the room in San Rafael, California, June 28, 1971 for another pre-trial hearing. On her left is chief attorney, Howard Moore Jr. of Atlanta, Georgia.”
Description: “More than 800 people crowded into the AME Zion Church in Rochester, N.Y., for the funeral of Elliott Barkley, one of the inmates killed in the Attica riot, Sept. 20, 1971. Mourners on the outside gave the Black Power salute as the casket is carried from the church to the hearse.”
Description: “Fanny Davis, sister of Angela Davis who was on trial in the United States, raises both arms with clenched fists as she acknowledges cheers from a crowd of students she addressed at Rome University, Rome, on Oct. 8, 1971. She is flanked by unidentified students.”
Description: “A Southern University student gives the raised fist salute as the Rev. Edward A. Kennedy Jr. gives the invocation during memorial service in New Orleans, Nov. 20, 1972 for the two students who were killed in a confrontation with police on the Baton Rouge campus. A Black Power flag flies at the right during the ceremonies in New Orleans.”
Description: “U.S. Sprinter Robert Taylor of Houston, Texas, gives Black power salute after winning 100-meter dash semifinal at Munich Olympic stadium on Friday, Sept. 1, 1972.”
Description: “The Reverend Dr. Ralph Abernathy, President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, gives a Black power and a peace sign as he was introduced at the opening session of the SCLC meeting in Dallas, Texas, August 16, 1972. Abernathy issued an emotional appeal for poor Americans to unite politically in a “human rights movement.”
Description: “Participants in the “Peace, Jobs and Freedom” rally cheer as the speakers of the event are introduced at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on August 27, 1983. The rally commemorates the 20th anniversary of the March on Washington that was led by the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.”
This black-and-white image taken by artist and prosecutor, Roderick Terry, captures the energy of the Million Man March that brought together more than a million African-American men, women, and children on October 16, 1995. Organized by the National African American Leadership Summit, this March was the first large-scale gathering of African Americans in the nation since the March on Washington in 1963 and fought under the same message for socio-political and economic equality.
This black-and-white image depicts a group of men standing at the base of the Statue of Peace at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Taken by artist and prosecutor, Roderick Terry, this image captures the energy of the Million Man March that brought together more than a million African-American men, women, and children on October 16, 1995. Organized by the National African American Leadership Summit, this March was the first large-scale gathering of African Americans in the nation since the March on Washington in 1963 and fought under the same message for socio-political and economic equality.
This black-and-white image taken by artist and prosecutor, Roderick Terry, captures the energy of the Million Man March that brought together more than a million African-American men, women, and children on October 16, 1995. Organized by the National African American Leadership Summit, this March was the first large-scale gathering of African Americans in the nation since the March on Washington in 1963 and fought under the same message for socio-political and economic equality.
Description: "Protesters raise their fists in support of more than 40 designated protesters, in their act of civil disobedience, as they occupy the LaSalle St. bridge over the Chicago River."
Description: "Malik Huggins of Albany N.Y., holds his fist in the air as Occupy Albany and Occupy Wall Street protesters from around the state rally in the War Room at the Capitol in Albany on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011. They presented documents to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office and the Senate Republican majority urging them to extend the state millionaire's tax."
This black-and white photograph was taken by American fine-art and documentary photographer, Sheila Pree Bright at a Black Lives Matter Rally in Atlanta, Georgia. As a child stands in the frame with her right fist raised high, this image enlightens audiences to the impact that demonstrations and activism can have on rallying the youth to fight for justice.
This image was taken by author and photographer, Devin Allen, and centers on protesters raising their fists at a rally near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Allen’s work aims to uplift the youth and empower young individuals to tell their stories through photography.
This black-and white photograph was taken by American fine-art and documentary photographer, Sheila Pree Bright. The scene highlights a group of demonstrators standing in front of the United States Capitol Building as they protest the fatal shooting of Michael Brown Jr., an 18-year old African-Ameircan man, who was killed by a 28-year-old white Ferguson police officer named Darren Wilson in 2014.
This image was taken by author and photographer, Devin Allen, and captures protesters raising their fists at a rally near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Allen’s work aims to uplift the youth and empower young individuals to tell their stories through photography.
This image was taken by the American fine-art and documentary photographer, Sheila Pree Bright, and depicts activists at a Black Lives Matter Rally in Washington, D.C. The woman on the right is activist, Carmen Perez, who is known for her social justice work focused on women’s rights, violence prevention, racial healing and mass incarceration. The banner advertises the Justice League, NYC, “a multi-disciplinary task force of juvenile and criminal justice experts, artists, educators, direct service providers, activists, and formerly incarcerated individuals” working to reform the criminal and social justice system in New York City.
This image was taken by author and photographer, Devin Allen, and highlights Black Lives Matter protestors marching in Baltimore, Maryland as demonstrators spoke out against the unjust death of 44-year old Tyrone West that occurred at the hands of white police officers in 2013. Allen highlights how two rival California-based gangs, the Crips and the Bloods, put their differences aside and came to the protest together.
This image was taken by author and photographer, Devin Allen, and portrays a child on a bicycle leading a protest in Baltimore, Maryland. This photograph characterizes the power of the youth, a continuous theme in Allen’s work, as he aims to utilize his photography to uplift young people specifically within Baltimore, through the lens of photographic storytelling.
This photograph demonstrates the “No Ban, No Wall, Justice for All!” rally hosted by Americans for Refugees & Immigrants in 2017. The goal of the rally was to “protest the Muslim Ban, the deportation of the Dreamers, anti-Semitism, police brutality against people of color and the unconstitutional probing of immigrant’s social media.”
Description: “The nationwide March for Our Lives in 2018 was led by students across the country to address the epidemic of mass school shootings and gun violence. This particular march, organized by a student-led group March for Our Lives Seattle, had specific goals including: universal background checks, banning the sale of semi-automatic rifles, ending the effective ban on federally funded research into gun violence, and raising the legal age to own a gun in Washington State from 18 to 21.”
Description: "An armed member of the "NFAC" raises his fist during a march through downtown Louisville, Kentucky, toward the Hall of Justice on Saturday, July 25, 2020. Hundreds of activists demanded justice for Breonna Taylor during the demonstrations in her hometown that drew counter-protesters from a white militia group. Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, was fatally shot when police officers burst into her Louisville apartment using a no-knock warrant during an investigation."
Description: "Seattle Mariners' Dee Gordon, center, holds a fist in the air as he stands with teammates during the playing of the national anthem before the Mariners home opener baseball game against the Oakland Athletics."
We'd love to hear from you. Please send questions or feedback to the below email addresses.
Before contacting us, you may wish to visit our FAQs page which has lots of useful info on Tiki-Toki.
We can be contacted by email at: hello@tiki-toki.com.
You can also follow us on twitter at twitter.com/tiki_toki.
If you are having any problems with Tiki-Toki, please contact us as at: help@tiki-toki.com
Close