Black Manifesto
The "Black Manifesto," presented by James Forman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1969, was a significant political document that called for the establishment of a black-led socialist government in the United States. It characterized the existing government as capitalist and imperialist, advocating for a radical overhaul to address systemic injustices faced by African Americans. Central to the manifesto was a demand for $500 million in reparations from white churches and Jewish synagogues, intended to compensate for the historical hardships of slavery. The proposed funds were to support initiatives such as land banks, educational institutions, and media outlets that would serve the black community.
The manifesto encouraged direct action, including the disruption of church services, to pressure religious institutions into compliance. Although it initially garnered some support from various denominations, backlash soon emerged, particularly from religious organizations and Jewish communities, which felt alienated by the manifesto's confrontational approach. The "Black Manifesto" remains a pivotal reference point in discussions about reparations and racial justice, reflecting the complexities and tensions within the struggle for civil rights in America.
Black Manifesto
Published 1969
Author Unknown; Introduction by James Forman
A call by militant black leadership for white Christian churches and Jewish synagogues to pay reparations to American blacks for the hardships of slavery.
Key Figures
James Forman (1928-2005), author of the introduction to the “Black Manifesto”
The Work
The “Black Manifesto” was presented by Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) member James Forman to the National Black Economic Development Conference in Detroit, Michigan, and was adopted on April 26, 1969. The manifesto was a call to arms for blacks in the United States to overthrow the current government, which it characterized as capitalist, racist, and imperialist, and to set up a black-led socialist government. The “Black Manifesto” demanded the payment of $500,000,000 in reparations to African Americans by white churches and Jewish synagogues in payment for the hardships of slavery. Churches were specifically targeted because they were seen as agents of U.S. imperialism. The monies that were demanded in the manifesto were to be used to establish land banks, television studios, universities, and black presses. To pressure churches to pay the reparations, the manifesto advocated the disruption of church services and the seizure of church property.
Impact
The initial reaction to the demands of the “Black Manifesto” was positive with promises of support coming from several denominations and groups, but soon the religious press across the spectrum attacked the manifesto and its strategies, which echoed Malcolm X’s “by any means necessary” revolutionary strategies. The manifesto particularly alienated Jewish groups.
Additional Information
For more information about the manifesto and its impact, see Black Manifesto: Religion, Racism, and Reparations (1969), edited by Robert S. Lecky and H. Elliott Wright.