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One of the tragedies of the struggle against racism is that up to now there has been no national organization which could speak to the growing militancy of young black people in the urban ghetto.

Stokely Carmichael

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

Economics Known Myself Privilege Right Vote
The philosophers Camus and Sartre raise the question whether or not a man can condemn himself.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Himself Man Philosophy Raise
The secret of life is to have no fear; it’s the only way to function.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Fear Function Life Secret Way
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
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
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
Now you know where I got my name.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Myself Name Yourself
Now, then, in order to understand white supremacy we must dismiss the fallacious notion that white people can give anybody their freedom.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Freedom Order People Understand
I place my own hope for the United States in the growth of belief among the unqualified that they are in fact qualified: they can articulate and be responsible and hold power
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Belief Growth Hold Hope Myself Place Power Qualification
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
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
I usually say I did the best I could with what I had. I have no major regrets.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Best Content Myself Regret
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
We had no more courage than Harriet Tubman or Marcus Garvey had in their times. We just had a more vulnerable enemy.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Courage Enemy Time Vulnerable
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
Before a group can enter the open society, it must first close ranks.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Close Open Rank Society
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
One of the tragedies of the struggle against racism is that up to now there has been no national organization which could speak to the growing militancy of young black people in the urban ghetto.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Black National People Struggle Tragedy Young
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
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
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 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
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
I ain’t going to jail no more. The only way we gonna stop them white men from whuppin’ us is to take over. What we gonna start sayin’ now is Black Power!
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Black Jail Power Prison 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
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 first need of a free people is to define their own terms.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL

Define Freedom Need Terms

One of the tragedies of the struggle against racism is that up to now there has been no national organization which could speak to the growing militancy of young black people in the urban ghetto.

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One of the tragedies of the struggle against racism is that up to now there has been no national organization which could speak to the growing militancy of young black people in the urban ghetto.

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Popular Authors

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