Unbought and Unbossed

In Unbought and Unbossed, Black Nationalism refers to a political and cultural movement that emphasizes racial pride, self-determination, and separation from white society. Chisholm describes this ideology primarily through her father’s admiration for Marcus Garvey, the Jamaican activist and political leader who promoted the idea that “Black is beautiful” and advocated for racial purity through separation rather than integration (15). According to Chisholm’s account, Garvey’s version of Black Nationalism called for uniting American Black people and returning them to Africa, where they could achieve independence and equality away from white oppression. She describes her father as an enthusiastic follower of Garvey’s teachings. This early exposure to Black Nationalist ideas shaped Chisholm’s understanding of racial identity and pride, even as she pursued integration and systemic change through electoral politics.

The BSPL (Bedford-Stuyvesant Political League) was a political organization formed by Wesley McD. Holder in the 1950s to challenge the white-controlled Democratic establishment in Brooklyn. This organization emerged from Holder’s successful campaign to elect Lewis S. Flagg, Jr., as Brooklyn’s first Black judge and represented an attempt to create sustained Black political power independent of traditional party machines. The BSPL functioned as an alternative to the regular Democratic clubs, advocating specifically for Black candidates and Black political representation in a community that had become predominantly African American.