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Glite Dictionary
brown power

brown power

8.3
A movement for rights and cultural pride for Hispanic, Latino, and South Asian people
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : poder marrón
  • Many activists of the 1970s were inspired by brown power and sought better representation in government.

Examples

  • The rally was organized to support brown power and demand equal rights for all communities.

  • The concept of brown power continues to influence cultural movements today.

  • The brown power movement has gained significant traction in recent years.

  • Many activists advocate for brown power in their communities.

  • Many activists of the 1970s were inspired by brown power and sought better representation in government.

  • The rally was organized to support brown power and demand equal rights for all communities.

  • The concept of brown power continues to influence cultural movements today.

Surface Forms

brown power singular
brown powers plural

Morphology

brown + power

The phrase is compositionally built from 'brown' (a color / ethnic descriptor) and 'power' (influence), so a learner can guess it refers to the power or empowerment of brown people; however, the full sociopolitical sense as a named movement advocating rights and cultural pride requires cultural and historical knowledge beyond literal word meanings. Because the political/activist connotations and the target groups (Hispanic, Latino, South Asian) are not fully predictable from the words alone, it is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Brown power grew from the style of slogans in the 1960s and 70s: people used the color brown to show 'pride' in their skin and the word power to demand 'rights' and strength. So, brown power means a movement for the 'rights' and cultural 'pride' of people of Hispanic, Latino, or South Asian background.