Tolerance among Black Activists, 1966-67

Stokely Carmichael and Martin Luther King Jr. had a disagreement as they marched side by side in the summer of 1966. Charmichael was bitter toward whites. In a speech on June 28 he described whites helping the civil rights movement as "nothing but treacherous enemies." This was antithetical to King's strategy of unity with whites. He believed that words mattered and that successful politics rode on alliances. King's way was heading for success. He remained friends with Carmichael. Within the Black Panther Party, Charmichael, Bobby Seale and others would divide in animosity.