Beloved Pan-Africanism: Martin Luther King’s Stride Toward Africa, International Human Rights, and the Black International Tradition

Transnationalism and Genealogy

“…For King, the strategies and tactics that Nkrumah had employed in Ghana against colonialism were also needed to combat American racism and disenfranchisement. Regrettably, as Levitt (2017) argues, history has severely underplayed the extent to which Martin Luther King Jr. was invigorated by Kwame Nkrumah's philosophy.…”

“…(King 1992) The excerpts above are an indication of the often-underplayed extent to which Ghana's independence invigorated Black Americans' cause. As Levitt (2017) submits, King perceived Ghana's independence as a clear manifestation that "forces of the universe are on the side of justice," implying that Ghana's success was a symbol of assurance of the certainty of victory for Black Americans.…”