Black Power and the American Myth is a 1970 book by Reverend C. T. Vivian that analyzes the Civil Rights movement. Before writing Black Power and the American Myth, Vivian had been an activist, a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and a member of the Executive Staff of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Vivian was the first member of King's staff to write a book about the Civil Rights movement,[1] and his access gave readers a first-hand account of the thoughts and motivations of the movement's leaders.
Vivian credits King with successfully shifting white Americans' perceptions of the need for equal rights for African-Americans:
| “ | It was Martin Luther King who removed the Black struggle from the economic realm and placed it in a moral and spiritual context. It was on this plane that The Movement first confronted the conscience of the nation.[2] | ” |
Vivian also describes the process through which the movement's leaders identified important goals and strategies:
| “ | In the initial planning
stages of The Movement, the leaders identified five goals:
|
” |
After its 1970 publication, Black Power and the American Myth became an Ebony Book Club selection and a bestseller.[4]
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