▁your ▁own ▁thing , ▁get ▁into ▁your ▁own ▁background , ▁your ▁own ▁history , ▁your ▁own ▁tradition ▁and ▁your ▁own ▁culture . ▁I ▁think ▁the ▁challenge ▁is ▁for ▁cultural ▁so vere ig nt y ▁and ▁Black ▁Arts ▁struck ▁a ▁blow ▁for ▁that . ▁ ▁By ▁breaking ▁into ▁a ▁field ▁typically ▁reserved ▁for ▁white ▁Americans , ▁artists ▁of ▁the ▁Black ▁Power ▁era ▁expanded ▁opportun ities ▁for ▁current ▁African ▁Americans . ▁" T od ay ' s ▁writers ▁and ▁perform ers ," ▁writes ▁William ▁L . ▁Van ▁Deb urg , ▁" recogn ize ▁that ▁they ▁o we ▁a ▁great ▁deal ▁to ▁Black ▁Power ' s ▁explos ion ▁of ▁cultural ▁orth odox y ." ▁ ▁Crit ic ism ▁Bay ard ▁R ust in , ▁an ▁elder ▁states man ▁of ▁the ▁Civil ▁Rights ▁Mov ement , ▁was ▁a ▁har sh ▁critic ▁of ▁Black ▁Power ▁in ▁its ▁earliest ▁days . ▁Writing ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 6 , ▁shortly ▁after ▁the ▁March ▁Again st ▁F ear , ▁R ust in ▁said ▁that ▁Black ▁Power ▁" not ▁only ▁la cks ▁any ▁real ▁value ▁for ▁the ▁civil ▁rights ▁movement , ▁but ▁[...] ▁its ▁propag ation ▁is ▁posit ively ▁harm ful . ▁It ▁diver ts ▁the ▁movement ▁from ▁a ▁meaning ful ▁debate ▁over ▁strategy ▁and ▁tact ics , ▁it ▁isol ates ▁the ▁Neg ro ▁community , ▁and ▁it ▁encourag es ▁the ▁growth ▁of ▁anti - N eg ro ▁forces ." ▁He ▁particularly ▁critic ized ▁the ▁Congress ▁of ▁Ra cial ▁Equ ality ▁( CO RE ) ▁and ▁SN CC ▁for ▁their ▁turn