▁Black ▁Power , ▁you ▁talk ▁of ▁building ▁a ▁movement ▁that ▁will ▁sm ash ▁everything ▁Western ▁civil ization ▁has ▁created ." ▁Though ▁Black ▁Power ▁at ▁the ▁most ▁basic ▁level ▁refers ▁to ▁a ▁political ▁movement , ▁the ▁psych ological ▁and ▁cultural ▁messages ▁of ▁the ▁Black ▁Power ▁movement , ▁though ▁less ▁tang ible , ▁have ▁had ▁perhaps ▁a ▁longer - last ing ▁impact ▁on ▁American ▁society ▁than ▁concrete ▁political ▁changes . ▁Indeed , ▁" fix ation ▁on ▁the ▁' polit ical ' ▁h ind ers ▁appreci ation ▁of ▁the ▁movement ' s ▁cultural ▁manifest ations ▁and ▁unnecess arily ▁obsc ures ▁black ▁culture ' s ▁role ▁in ▁prom oting ▁the ▁psych ological ▁well ▁being ▁of ▁the ▁Af ro - American ▁people ," ▁states ▁William ▁L . ▁Van ▁Deb urg , ▁author ▁of ▁A ▁New ▁Day ▁in ▁Bab yl on , ▁" mov ement ▁leaders ▁never ▁were ▁as ▁successful ▁in ▁winning ▁power ▁for ▁the ▁people ▁as ▁they ▁were ▁in ▁convin cing ▁people ▁that ▁they ▁had ▁sufficient ▁power ▁within ▁themselves ▁to ▁escape ▁' the ▁prison ▁of ▁self - de pre cation '" ▁ ▁Prim arily , ▁the ▁liber ation ▁and ▁emp ower ment ▁experienced ▁by ▁African ▁Americans ▁occurred ▁in ▁the ▁psych ological ▁real m . ▁The ▁movement ▁u pl ift ed ▁the ▁black ▁community ▁as ▁a ▁whole ▁by ▁cultiv ating ▁feelings ▁of ▁ra cial ▁solid ar ity ▁and ▁positive ▁self - identity , ▁often ▁in ▁opposition ▁to ▁the ▁world ▁of ▁white ▁Americans , ▁a ▁world ▁that ▁had ▁phys ically ▁and ▁psych olog ically ▁opp ress ed ▁Black s ▁for