Some civil rights leader, such as Malcolm X, blamed the slow pace of reform on nonviolence protests and civil disobedience. He proposed a more militant approach, that blacks should embrace violence for self-defense and separate to form their own society. Although Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965, he inspired the Black Power Movement, which SNCC leader Stokely Carmichael popularized. The Black Power Movement promoted cultural pride, racial equality, and justice. Huey P. Newton founded the Black Panther Party, which carried arms and demanded equality in housing, education, and employment.
However, as nonviolent protests lost momentum, the frustration about the slow pace of change created unrest. Race riots took place in major urban areas, like Watts (in Los Angeles), Harlem, Chicago, and Detroit every summer from 1965 to 1968. When MLK was assassinated on April 4, 1968, massive waves of looting and violent rioting broke out across the nation.