Chapter 29: Black Power, Chapter 30: Beyond Vietnam Summary and Analysis

James Meredith is shot and King visits him. They take up the march that he was leading when he was shot. The nonviolence movement is faltering. Blacks want to fight. King argues that opposing violence is also pragmatic, as violence will create a back-lash. Some begin to oppose white participation and the concept of Black Power begins to coalesce. As a rally, the leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) begins asking the people to support Black Power; that is where the phrase gains prominence. King has reservations about the term and worries about splits. The press fans the flames of the debate and it becomes part of the black community. Black Power, though, derives from political disappointment. It wants blacks to focus their political and economic strength to fight...