February 24, 2015 STAFF/STU

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Your Daily Dose of Black History: Black Power Movement

Created to reawaken racial pride and promote black interests politically and socially, the Black Power Movement was a force aiming to change the black community’s view of itself and the power it held in the world. One of the movement’s prime targets was the practice of straightening black hair. Seen by some as an outward expression of the burden of assimilation, many in the Black Power Movement saw the abandonment of the practice as their way of throwing off the mental shackles of oppression and recapturing their roots.While the intent was focused inward, it was the reaction of outside society that made news. The afro became one of the most recognized symbols of the movement.