Raised Fist

About

Raised First, also known as the Power Fist, is a symbol of solidarity and support for various political causes, depicting an autonomous clenched fist pointing upward. The emblem expresses unity, primarily among social and political movements, such as black empowerment, LGBTQ+ rights and socialism.

Origin

The earliest known usage of the symbol dates back to June 30th, 1917, in the illustration "Solidarity" by Ralph Chaplin.^[1] Made for the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.), the piece depicts a group of workers joining their fists together to create one giant fist (shown below).

Spread

Over the next few decades, the symbol continued to appear in political artwork. In 1948, the Taller de Gráfica Popular (English translation: People's Graphic Workshop) published a Raised Fist illustration (shown below, left).^[2]

Throughout the 1960s, the fist became associated with numerous political groups, including communist, socialist and black power groups, including the Black Panther Party and Students for a Democratic Society. The symbol appeared on political action posters for protests and other demonstrations (examples below, center and right).

At the 1968 Summer Olympics, following the 200-meter race, gold medalist Tommie Smith and bronze medalist John Carlos raised their fist on the podium. Photographs of the moment became a prominent symbol of black power, elevating the raised fist as a salute and a representation of the movement (shown below).^[3]

While usage of the fist declined as a political symbol in the 1970s, the mid-2000s saw a reappropriation of the design. Axis of Justice used a clenched fist on the cover for the 2004 CD Concert Series Volume 1, and in 2005, radio DJ Howard Stern used it as an advertisement for his "uncensored" radio program (shown below, left and right).^[2]

Following the emergence of the Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter movement, the fist returned to prominence within activist causes. Many online began using a black emoji fist in text and social media (shown below, left). BuzzFeed ^[4] writes:

In 2017, you're just as likely to see it adopted passionately by a protester as you are to see it -- in various emoji skin shades -- ironically planted aside a warning to stay "woke," or politically conscious. You can use the fist to show solidarity while simultaneously undermining it by poking fun at activist posturing.

Around this time, the Raised Fist found popularity in the Women's March (shown below, right).^[5]

TikTok Profile Pics

In May 2020, the image began appearing in TikTok profile picture (example below). Refinery29^[6] writes, "In late May, Black TikTok creators, led by the founder of Utah's Black Lives Matter chapter, banded together to raise awareness around the uneven application of TikTok's community guidelines. A virtual protest made visible by the masses of Power Fist profile pictures."

Others used the fist in videos. For example, on May 18th, TikToker theeemuse posted a video about the fist and black activism on TikTok (shown below). The post received more than 19,000 reactions and 780 comments.

Several people asked about the trend in the /r/OutOfTheLoop^[7][8][9] subreddit throughtout the month of May.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References