
Black nationalism is a type of nationalism which espouses the belief that black people are a nation and seeks to develop and maintain a black identity. The movement developed during the 20th century, with major leaders including Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, and Frantz Fanon. Unlike the Civil Rights movement of Martin Luther King, Jr., black nationalists opposed assimilation into white American culture (through integration or otherwise) and sought to maintain a distinct black identity. Black nationalists also sought to empower black communities socially, politically, and economically.