The standard
Black people must possess primary authority to name their condition, define their interests, and establish standards of Black worth.
Why it matters
External domination is sustained not only through police and property but through definition. A people described by its rulers is continually made deficient, deviant, immature, or dependent. Black Power demanded that Black communities recover the authority to define themselves rather than seeking a favorable description from white institutions. Self-definition determines what counts as beauty, intelligence, order, leadership, family, success, and legitimate knowledge. It does not mean rejecting every outside idea. It means that no outside group has veto power over the categories through which Black people understand and govern themselves.
Practical example
A newsroom covers Black political organization only through labels such as “angry,” “divisive,” or “radical.” A pro-Black institution creates its own media, vocabulary, and analysis instead of spending all its energy pleading for a kinder description.
Failure test
Whoever controls the definition of Black reality controls the boundaries of Black political possibility.