Echoes of the Past: Reliving the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements Today

An Activist’s Perspective on the Persistent Struggle for Black Liberation

By Fred Chavis

Biography, Getty Images

History Repeats Itself

In the summer of 2020, I stood in the streets of Washington, D.C., surrounded by fellow protesters demanding justice for George Floyd. The air burned with the sting of tear gas, the rhythmic chants of the people echoing off the shields of the police. It was a moment of déjà vu—images from the 1960s flashing through my mind, where Black activists were brutalized for daring to demand basic human rights.

Despite landmark victories like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the struggle for justice remains eerily similar. Voter suppression, police brutality, economic oppression, and media misrepresentation continue to shape the Black experience in America.

But there’s another element missing from today’s movement—Black Power.

While the Civil Rights Movement fought for legal and social equality through integration and policy change, the Black Power Movement aimed for self-determination, economic independence, and true sovereignty. Today, we must recognize that neither movement was enough alone. To break free from this cycle, our modern liberation struggle must embrace both the demands for civil rights and the radical self-sufficiency of Black Power.

As someone who has led movements for Breonna Taylor along with other victims of this oppressive system and served as one of the youngest NAACP presidents in Maryland, I have witnessed firsthand how we are still fighting the same battles. The lesson from history is clear: Legal victories are not enough. Without power—political, economic, and cultural—oppression simply evolves into new forms.

Author in Washington DC during Black Lives Matters rebellion

Then vs. Now: The Unfinished Struggle

Voting Rights Suppression & The Demand for Black Political Power

In the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement fought against literacy tests, poll taxes, and violent intimidation to secure voting rights. The passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 was a hard-fought victory, but today, voter suppression has returned in more insidious forms.

Since 2013, the Supreme Court has weakened key protections of the Voting Rights Act, allowing states to introduce strict voter ID laws, polling place closures, and mass purges that disproportionately target Black voters. In Georgia’s 2018 gubernatorial election, over 500,000 registered voters were removed from the rolls—modern-day disenfranchisement.

Why Civil Rights Alone Wasn’t Enough:

The Civil Rights Movement secured the right to vote, but who controls the political system? Black Power leaders, such as Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture) and Malcolm X, understood that legal rights meant nothing without Black political self-determination. Today, we must move beyond simply participating in elections—we must control the political institutions that shape our lives.

Black Power in Action:

• Building independent Black political parties.

• Community-controlled governance.

• Defunding police and reinvesting in Black-led security alternatives.

Police Brutality & The Right to Self-Defense

Selma, 1965: Peaceful protesters were met with police clubs and attack dogs on Bloody Sunday. Today, we see the same brutality—Ferguson, Louisville, Minneapolis. I was in D.C. when police tear-gassed us for demanding justice for George Floyd, just as state troopers brutalized marchers in the 1960s.

Since 2013, over 30,000 people have been killed by police, with Black Americans facing police violence at rates 3.2 times higher than white Americans. The murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Tyre Nichols show that state violence remains as lethal as ever.

Why Civil Rights Alone Wasn’t Enough:

While the Civil Rights Movement fought for policing reforms, reform has failed. The Black Power Movement argued for armed self-defense and community control over public safety. The Black Panther Party’s patrols of police activity in Oakland were a direct response to state-sanctioned violence.

Black Power in Action:

• Black-led community patrols to prevent police violence.

• Training in self-defense, both legally and physically.

• Investment in Black-owned security forces over racist policing.

Economic Inequality & The Need for Black Self-Sufficiency

During the Civil Rights Movement, Black families faced redlining, racial wage gaps, and job discrimination. While civil rights legislation made discrimination illegal, the racial wealth gap remains staggering.

• The median Black household wealth is 8 times lower than white households.

• Black homeownership is 44%, compared to 74% for white Americans.

• Redlining still impacts property values in majority-Black neighborhoods.

Why Civil Rights Alone Wasn’t Enough:

The Civil Rights Movement fought for equal access to white-owned institutions, but Black Power was about building our own institutions. While desegregation was a necessary step, integration into a white-dominated economy left Black communities economically vulnerable.

Black Power in Action:

• Black cooperatives & community-owned banks (like Fannie Lou Hamer’s Freedom Farm).

• Land ownership and control over Black food production.

• A push for reparations and economic sovereignty.

Media & Cultural Control

During the 1960s, mainstream media demonized Black leaders. They called Malcolm X a “dangerous radical” and framed MLK as a “troublemaker.” Today, the same thing happens—Black activists are labeled “terrorists” while white nationalist violence is ignored and pardoned.

COINTELPRO, the FBI’s surveillance program targeting Black leaders, never truly ended. In 2017, the FBI classified Black activists as “Black Identity Extremists”, echoing the tactics used against the Black Panther Party and MLK before his assassination.

Why Civil Rights Alone Wasn’t Enough:

The Civil Rights Movement sought better media representation, but the Black Power Movement understood that true power comes from controlling the narrative.

Black Power in Action:

• Building independent Black media platforms.

• Creating films, books, and art that define our own history.

• Community-owned social media networks free from censorship.

Stokely Carmichael "Kwame Ture"

The Modern Movement: Civil Rights + Black Power = True Liberation

The lesson from history is clear: Legal victories are meaningless without power. Today, we must combine the civil rights framework of policy change with the radical, self-sufficient vision of Black Power.

• Civil Rights gave us legal protections → Black Power gives us economic and political control.

• Civil Rights secured the right to vote → Black Power demands Black governance.

• Civil Rights ended segregation → Black Power builds our own institutions.

Conclusion: The Time to Act is Now

We are reliving the struggles of the 1960s because the system was never designed for our liberation. The Civil Rights Movement made progress, but without economic, political, and cultural power, we remain vulnerable.

As someone who has been on the front lines, I urge you:

• Demand justice, but also demand power.

• Protest, but also build self-sufficient communities.

• Vote, but also work towards Black-controlled governance.

The Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement were not opposing forces—they were two sides of the same struggle. And today, we must embrace both.

This is our moment to finish what our ancestors started.

This story is original reporting by Fred Chavis and was first published on The Liberation Movement. For publication rights, syndication, or collaboration, please contact liberation@fredchavis.com. Unauthorized use or reproduction without permission is prohibited.