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Black Power was a slogan used in the nineteen 60’s and 70’s to describe a political and cultural movement that rose at the same time as the Civil Rights Movement, though with different aims. Its aims, unlike Dr. King’s approach, emphasized at times the value of separation and segregation — not as an attempt to cow to white control or dominance, but rather as an acknowledgement that if the white man’s culture and political regimes had only caused harms to black society at large, why not just keep the two spheres totally separate?

In other words, it meant to establish the value and autonomy of the collective interests of the black community in America. The growth of the Black Power movement can be measured in part by the additional movements which spun off from the original political movement.

One such satellite movement was known as “black is beautiful.” The phrase “black is beautiful” refers to the conscious effort to instill a self-love among all black people for their distinct physical characteristics. Better expressed, it’s a movement aimed at dispelling the underlying Western thought that black characteristics are inherently ugly.

The need for such a movement was well established — in one study a black couple showed a white doll and a black doll to little black children and asked them to point which doll was the better looking doll, or simply asking which of the two was the better doll. Dishearteningly, many of these black children actually chose the white doll, proving the pervasiveness of the idea that there was an inherent difference in beauty between blacks and whites.

Thus the black is beautiful movement, which continues today, fights to implant the idea that blacks ought to be unapologetically proud of their features and heritage. Efforts to correct the wrongs caused by unchecked prejudiced attitudes are made through plays, novels, and other print media.

There are several examples of a media outlet which overtly promotes well-being and the welfare of self-image for not just African Americans, but also all women of color. One result of efforts similar to those made by many of these magazines is the popularity of African American apparel and hairstyles like the afro which has nearly become a symbol, especially in pop culture, of what it means to be black.

With time the movement will perhaps be able to achieve its own aims. Even now there are still problems of internalized racism where more natural hairstyles are perceived as “unkempt” or even “rebellious.” Unfortunately, it may never be possible for all people of African descent to have a unified attitude towards issues of beauty and culture so long as some choose to accept general American cultural attitudes propagated through the media and elsewhere.

Jolie-Magazine.com (http://jolie-magazine.com) provides content above and beyond the print magazine with messages of inspiration and also links to hot deals on the latest African American apparel. Art Gib is a freelance writer.