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I knew that I could vote and that that wasn’t a privilege; it was my right. Every time I tried I was shot, killed or jailed, beaten or economically deprived.

Stokely Carmichael

I maintain that every civil rights bill in this country was passed for white people, not for black people.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Black Civil Country People Right White
There has been only a civil rights movement, whose tone of voice was adapted to an audience of liberal whites.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Audience Civil Liberty Movement Rights White
If a white man wants to lynch me, that’s his problem. If he’s got the power to lynch me, that’s my problem. Racism is not a question of attitude; it’s a question of power.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Man Oppression Power Problem Question Racism White
It is a call for black people in this country to unite, to recognize their heritage, to build a sense of community. It is a call for black people to define their own goals, to lead their own organizations.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Black Build Community Country Organization People Sense
Our grandfathers had to run, run, run. My generation’s out of breath. We ain’t running no more.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Breathe Generation Myself Run
The first need of a free people is to define their own terms.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Define Freedom Need Terms
Before a group can enter the open society, it must first close ranks.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Close Open Rank Society
Integration is a man’s ability to want to move in there by himself. If someone wants to live in a white neighborhood and he is black, that is his choice. It should be his rights. It is not because white people will not allow him.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Ability Allow Himself Live Man People Right
There is a higher law than the law of government. That’s the law of conscience.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Conscience Government Law
An organization which claims to speak for the needs of a community must speak in the tone of that community.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Community Need Organization Talk
Go home and tell your daughters they are beautiful.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Beautiful Daughter Home Yourself
Now you know where I got my name.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Myself Name Yourself
So that the failures to pass a civil rights bill isn’t because of Black Power, isn’t because of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee; it’s not because of the rebellions that are occurring in the major cities.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

City Civil Failure Occur Pass Rebel Right
The death of Che Guevara places a responsibility on all revolutionaries of the World to redouble their decision to fight on to the final defeat of Imperialism. That is why in essence Che Guevara is not dead, his ideas are with us.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Death Decision Ideas Ourselves Place Responsibility
Seems to me that the institutions that function in this country are clearly racist, and that they’re built upon racism.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Build Country Function Institution Racism
The philosophers Camus and Sartre raise the question whether or not a man can condemn himself.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Himself Man Philosophy Raise
What a liberal really wants is to bring about change that will not in any way endanger his position.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Change Himself Liberty Position
One does not fight to influence change and then leave the change to someone else to bring about.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Change Fight Influence Oneself
The secret of life is to have no fear; it’s the only way to function.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Fear Function Life Secret Way
I also know that while I am black I am a human being, and therefore I have the right to go into any public place. White people didn’t know that.Every time I tried to go into a place they stopped me
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Black Known Myself People Place Stop White
An organization which claims to be working for the needs of a community – as SNCC does – must work to provide that community with a position of strength from which to make its voice heard. This is the significance of black power beyond the slogan
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Beyond Black Claim Community Need Organization Power Slogan Strength Work
Leaders in Africa are so corrupt that we are certain if we put dogs in uniforms and put guns on their shoulders, we’d be hard put to distinguish them.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Corruption Dog Leadership Uniform Weapon
The masses don’t shed their blood for the benefit of a few individuals.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Benefit Blood Individual Mass
Capitalism is a stupid system, a backward system.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Capitalism Stupidity System
The time for running has come to an end. You tell them white folk in Mississippi that all the scared niggers are dead!
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Death End Run Scare Time
Black Power can be clearly defined for those who do not attach the fears of white America to their questions about it.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Black Define Power Question White
No man can given anybody his freedom.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Freedom Man

I knew that I could vote and that that wasn’t a privilege; it was my right. Every time I tried I was shot, killed or jailed, beaten or economically deprived.

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I knew that I could vote and that that wasn’t a privilege; it was my right. Every time I tried I was shot, killed or jailed, beaten or economically deprived.

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