The Black Power movement, a political movement that occurred from the late 1950’s to the early 1970’s, saw various forms of activism, all striving to achieve black empowerment. This movement happened during a time when African-Americans were struggling to define their personal identities in cultural terms. Many blacks chose to identify with their African roots, instead of their American roots, because they had painful memories associated with what it meant to be a black person in America. They strove to reject their American heritage. But, was that possible? “Everyday Use”, a short story by Alice Walker, address the complex ideology behind the Black Power movement and tries to answer what heritage really means to black Americans.
