The Congress of African People (CAP) was founded in 1970 in Atlanta as a revolutionary and nationalistic organization. The CAP was often not taken seriously by the public, since focus was quick to shift towards leader Amiri Baraka and his artisitic and "questionable" political lifestyle. As a result, the CAP's efforts and long-term impacts on black Americans were often hidden or left out from sources.
The information displayed below is from Michael Simanga's book Amiri Baraka and the Congress of African People: History and Memory. I focused on information regarding the CAP under Baraka's leadership and the organization's impact on the nation as a whole.
Important CAP Impacts:
The CAP voiced the promotion of cultural nationalism, such as bringing emphasis to the African American holiday Kwanzaa.
The organization was influential to the Black Arts movement and promoted aspects of identity and black art as a link for achieving liberation.
It brought together two major components of the Black Liberation Movement: Black Power and Black Arts.
The CAP was critical to the success of many other associations during this time, some of which included African Liberation Day, the African Liberation Support Committee, the 1972 National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana, the National Black Assembly, and the Black Women's United Front.
Another important aspect was the development of independent owned institutions controlled by progressive African Americans such as theaters, publishing companies, schools, cultural centers, and student organizations. Focus towards local development of black Americans was important for the CAP to create a united front while strengthening the base of communities.
Simanga states that one of the most impressive outcomes from the organization was the ability to lead a “diverse Black Nationalist-Pan-Africanist community across the nation in pursuit of broad political and social goals.” CAP spread across the states and was known as an organization going beyond the social aspects of racial justice and equality to redefine what the role of the government meant in representation of all colored people.
The enduring legacy of CAP and its ability to help serve the community lead to several progressive and radical black activists being elected to office. Two of the individuals mentioned by Simanga in his book include Chokwe Lumumba who was mayor of Jackson, Mississippi in 2013 and Ras Baraka- son of Amiri and Amina Baraka. Ras Baraka became mayor of Newark in 2014 with the goals of expanding education, economic growth, and criminal reform. The election of such men advanced the CAP's progress and revealed to the world that community efforts through the CAP would help empower black Americans across the nation.
Interview: Formation of Congress of Afrikan People