"Fighting for US explores the fascinating history of the US Organization, a Black nationalist group based in California that played a leading role in Black Power politics and culture during the late 1960s and early 1970s whose influence is still felt today. Advocates of Afrocentric renewal, US unleashed creative and intellectual passions that continue to fuel debate and controversy among scholars and students of the Black Power movement." "Founded in 1965 by Maulana Karenga, US established an extensive network of alliances with a diverse body of activists, artists, and organizations throughout the United States for the purpose of bringing about an African American cultural revolution. Fighting for US presents the first historical examination of US's philosophy, internal dynamics, political activism, and influence on African American art, making an elaborate use of oral history interviews, organizational archives, Federal Bureau of Investigation files, newspaper accounts, and other primary sources of the period." "This book also sheds light on factors contributing to the organization's decline in the early 1970s - government repression, authoritarianism, sexism, and elitist vanguard politics."--Jacket.