National Black Political Convention

The National Black Political Convention, or the Gary Convention, was held on March 10–12, 1972 in Gary, Indiana.[1][2] The convention gathered around ten thousand African-Americans to discuss and advocate for black communities that undergo significant economic and social crisis.[3] Part of their goal was to raise the number of black politicians elected to office, increase representation, and create an agenda for fundamental change.[4] The convention also issued the Gary Declaration, which stated that the American political system was failing black Americans and that the only way to address this problem was to transition to independent black politics.[5][6] Notable participants in the convention included Gary mayor Richard Hatcher, civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, and House Representative Charles C. Diggs Jr..[7] Diggs Jr., alongside Richard Hatcher, were the two keynote speakers at the National Black Political Convention.

Filmmaker William Greaves' 1972 documentary Nationtime, narrated by Sidney Poitier, covers the National Black Political Convention. An 80-minute restored version was released in 2020 with funding from Jane Fonda and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.[8]

References
  1. "The National Black Political Convention". SocialistWorker.org. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  2. Baraka, Amiri (1974-01-01). The National Black Assembly and the Black liberation movement. Denver: publisher not identified.
  3. "The 40th Anniversary of the Gary National Black Political Convention". Free Speech TV. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  4. Anderson, Javonte. "National Black Political Convention returns to Gary". Daily Press. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  5. "Gary Declaration, National Black Political Convention, 1972 | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed". www.blackpast.org. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  6. "American Experience.Eyes on the Prize.Milestones | PBS". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  7. "Gary's National Black Political Convention, 40 years on". WBEZ. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  8. "Nationtime". BAM.org. Brooklyn Academy of Music. 2020.

Further reading


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