16. Attempting to fulfill the dream of Malcolm X, the Republic of New Afrika sought to lay claim to five southern states of the United States of America as part of a new nation for historically oppressed African-Americans
Convened by the Malcolm X Society and the Group on Advanced Leadership, the Black Government Conference, held in Detroit, Michigan, sought to fulfill the vision of the deceased civil rights leader of an independent and free black nation. Issuing a declaration of independence on March 31, 1968, signed by approximately one hundred of the five hundred conference attendees, the document proclaimed the formation of a new nation: The Republic of New Afrika. Instituting the framework for a provisional government, with Robert E. Williams named as the first president, the movement lay claim to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, George, and South Carolina, in addition to some black-majority counties in neighboring states.
Advocating militant self-defense of these claims, encouraging the creation not only of local militias but also of a standing army – the Black Legion – the controversial republic quickly faced sanction. Infiltrated by the FBI, the group became the target of sustained criminal investigations for the organization’s role in multiple violent confrontations with police including shootouts in Jackson, Mississippi. Still theoretically in existence today, following the prosecutions of several leading figures the movement fizzled out, losing momentum and failing to garner the popular support necessary to achieve its grandiose goals.