The Black Arts Movement, the Congress for Cultural Freedom, and Cultural Discourse

ABSTRACT

During the postwar era following WWII, global powers, like the United States, offered support to war-torn European nations largely to safeguard their own interests and values. In other parts of the world, particularly the Global South, nations that were under the influence of Western colonialism and imperialism considered their own future and independence. At the same time, many blacks in the United States were fighting for freedom and equality during the civil rights movement, and at times, drew connections between their struggles and the struggles that peoples of colour faced in other countries. Malcolm X was vocal about black nationalism, which influenced LeRoi Jones, who was a seminal figure of the Black Arts Movement. The concept of black nationalism permeated the Black Arts Movement in the United States. The Central Intelligence Agency, which funded Congress for Cultural Freedom, was significant during this same time period in history and used the arts to fight the culture war against communism. By examining the networks affiliated with the Black Arts Movement and the Congress for Cultural Freedom, this article will demonstrate how the notion of sovereignty was addressed through the arts by two networks that were occasionally antithetical to each other.

KEYWORDS:

• black nationalism
• Cold War
• communism
• liberation
• sovereignty
• arts
• Black Arts Movement
• civil rights movement
• Congress for Cultural Freedom
• white supremacy
• Eurocentric paradigms

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

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Adrian J. Mack

Adrian J. Mack is the Director of Business Development for Social Impact at 3C Institute for Social Development, an award-winning research and development company, specialising in social, emotional, and behavioural health, that creates evidence-based programs and software applications to promote health and wellbeing for people around the world. Dr. Mack is also an adjunct faculty member in Interdisciplinary Studies at Southern New Hampshire University.