At the end of the 1960s, increasingly violent demonstrations erupted across America—including the Watts Rebellion of 1965, the People’s Park Riot of 1969, and the Kent State protests of 1970. This unrest, growing out of the civil rights, free speech, and anti–Vietnam War movements, was particularly felt in Black communities that were fed up with racism, poor living conditions, and police brutality. Disenchanted with the nonviolent strategies of the early civil rights movement, protesters took to the streets in cities like Detroit, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, meeting inequity with a closed fist instead of an open hand.
When the smoke cleared, local activists channeled their anger and grief into positive affirmations of identity and self-worth. Forged within this crucible, the Black Arts Movement thrived, using visual art, poetry, dance, and other forms of creative expression to create an aesthetic around Blackness that was detached from the white gaze.
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While the movement originated in New York with Black literary activist Amiri Baraka, it quickly gained traction in California, where diverse voices and new mediums were flourishing.
Source: artnews.com