Black Consciousness Movement information

The Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) was a grassroots anti-apartheid activist movement that emerged in South Africa in the mid-1960s out of the political vacuum created by the jailing and banning of the African National Congress and Pan Africanist Congress leadership after the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960.^[1] The BCM represented a social movement for political consciousness.

[Black Consciousness'] origins were deeply rooted in Christianity. In 1966, the Anglican Church under the incumbent, Archbishop Robert Selby Taylor, convened a meeting which later on led to the foundation of the University Christian Movement (UCM). This was to become the vehicle for Black Consciousness.^[2]

The BCM attacked what they saw as traditional white values, especially the "condescending" values of white liberals. They refused to engage white liberal opinion on the pros and cons of black consciousness, and emphasised the rejection of white monopoly on truth as a central tenet of their movement ^[3] While this philosophy at first generated disagreement amongst black anti-apartheid activists within South Africa, it was soon adopted by most as a positive development. As a result, there emerged a greater cohesiveness and solidarity amongst black groups in general, which in turn brought black consciousness to the forefront of the anti-apartheid struggle within South Africa.

The BCM's policy of perpetually challenging the dialectic of apartheid South Africa as a means of transforming Black thought into rejecting prevailing opinion or mythology to attain a larger comprehension brought it into direct conflict with the full force of the security apparatus of the apartheid regime. "Black man, you are on your own" became the rallying cry as mushrooming activity committees implemented what was to become a relentless campaign of challenge to what was then referred to by the BCM as "the system". It eventually sparked a confrontation on 16 June 1976 in the Soweto uprising, when Black children marched to protest both linguistic imperialism and coercive Afrikaans medium education in the townships. In response, 176 of the child protesters were fatally shot by South African security forces^[3] and both outrage and unrest spread like wildfire throughout the country.

Although it successfully implemented a system of comprehensive local committees to facilitate organised resistance, the BCM itself was decimated by security action taken against its leaders and social programs. By 19 June 1976, 123 key members had been banned and assigned to internal exile in remote rural districts. In 1977, all BCM related organisations were banned, many of its leaders arrested, and their social programs dismantled under provisions of the newly implemented Internal Security Amendment Act. On 12 September 1977, its banned National Leader, Steve Bantu Biko died from injuries that resulted from brutal assault while in the custody of the South African Police.^[4]

^ David M. Sibeko, The Sharpeville massacre: Its historic significance in the struggle against apartheid, University of Natal.
^ Mukuku, George. "The impact of black consciousness on black Catholic clergy and their seminary training". University of Natal. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2007.
^ ^a ^b Hadfield, Leslie Anne (27 February 2017). "Steve Biko and the Black Consciousness Movement". Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.83. ISBN 978-0-19-027773-4. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
^ "Afrikaner police admit to killing Stephen Biko". HISTORY. Retrieved 21 April 2022.

[1] David M. Sibeko, The Sharpeville massacre: Its historic significance in the struggle against apartheid, University of Natal.

[2] Mukuku, George. "The impact of black consciousness on black Catholic clergy and their seminary training". University of Natal. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2007.

[:1-3] Hadfield, Leslie Anne (27 February 2017). "Steve Biko and the Black Consciousness Movement". Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.83. ISBN 978-0-19-027773-4. Retrieved 21 April 2022.

[4] "Afrikaner police admit to killing Stephen Biko". HISTORY. Retrieved 21 April 2022.

Black Consciousness Movement information

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Black Consciousness Movement

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Black Consciousness
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Events Soweto uprising Death of Steve Biko SASO/BPC trial
Organisations SASO SASM BPC BAWU AZAPO Zanempilo Community Health Care Centre
People Steve Biko Barney Pityana Tshenuwani Farisani Mapetla Mohapi Bennie Khoapa Aubrey Mokoape Mamphela Ramphele Onkgopotse Tiro Saths Cooper Strini Moodley Mosiuoa Lekota Nkwenkwe Nkomo Winnie Kgware
Related topics Apartheid Apartheid legislation Internal resistance to apartheid Non-racialism Black theology Frank Talk I Write What I Like Durban Moment
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Apartheid
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Events 1948 general election Coloured vote constitutional crisis 1956 Treason Trial Sharpeville massacre Rivonia Trial Soweto uprising Church Street, Pretoria bombing Vaal uprising Trojan Horse Incident Khotso House bombing Cape Town peace march CODESA Assassination of Chris Hani Saint James Church massacre Shell House massacre
Organisations ANC APLA IFP AWB BBB Black Sash CCB Conservative Party DP ECC FOSATU PP RP PFP HNP MK PAC UDF Broederbond National Party COSATU Security Branch SACC SADF SAIC SAMA SAP SACP State Security Council
People Vernon Berrangé P. W. Botha Steve Biko Mangosuthu Buthelezi F. W. de Klerk Ruth First Bram Fischer Arthur Goldreich Chris Hani Bantu Holomisa Joel Joffe Ahmed Kathrada Albert Luthuli Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Mac Maharaj D. F. Malan Nelson Mandela Govan Mbeki Thabo Mbeki Raymond Mhlaba Benjamin Moloise Albertina Sisulu Walter Sisulu J. G. Strijdom Joe Slovo Robert Sobukwe Helen Suzman Adelaide Tambo Oliver Tambo Eugène Terre'Blanche Desmond Tutu H. F. Verwoerd B. J. Vorster Jacob Zuma
Places Bantustan District Six Robben Island Sophiatown South-West Africa Soweto Sun City Vlakplaas
Related topics Afrikaner nationalism Apartheid in popular culture Apartheid legislation Cape Qualified Franchise Disinvestment campaign Freedom Charter Internal resistance to apartheid Kairos Document Music in the movement against apartheid Nostalgia for apartheid Project Coast Sullivan Principles
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