CORE'S (Congress On Racial Equality) 24th National Convetion, June 30, 1967 (Part 2 of 2)

Thank you very much. For we start with like a star the way we always do phrases due to the black me. This is important as we always explain because black people really don't. Praise themselves when they have not done so and the pair says we say there is here to set a precedent. We have to start doing a name we cannot endorse other people to do. We don't do so we say so that you can know exactly how we feel. We feel that people are equating theirs. We believe that black people are the real movement and revolution in this country. We believe that black people although their children hear this and we have come to see that.

We say we did not come to read history but to me we dare not to just hear the program but to teach practice and to practice ourselves. But we said to ourselves when we started to move because there were so many black people moving in who thought that they had a program there should be two black people. We asked Are is there any need of being bold. And when we look at our say. Any of the other things in existence we found that people like one thing above all thing they like one thing that we're what we call a culture the total value system something like feeling

down learning how to eat with forks and stuff. But of the your system they gave you three thing identity a purpose and direction. I didn't it turns you on purpose tells you what you have to do and direction tells you how to do it now but people certainly for years did not know who they were. Some of them thought they were a miracle. Therefore they put tissue in something called the American Congress so that they could sit down next to wait for miracles in some restaurant. That's because they thought they were American. So what they did is start to move against institutions and not people. Become. They did not identify with being black but with being a mere.

And we say that the energy that people miss america is being planned. We were blue before we were booed is the ultimate fact in our mind. So that unless we understand who we are we cannot talk about where we are going to go or how we're going to get there. We say the people have one purpose there is to elevate black people and to develop black people and if they cannot do that then their mission in history is lost and they deserve to be placed in a museum. What are the things that used to be. And we say that the direction to get to that position is to first seek freedom by any means necessary. There is love for the moon. Then we have our say.

Of. What all of the years that we need in order to move and we live in them in terms. Of seven absolute principles that people need in order to move these other. Believe that black people will have to use if they're going to ever move. The first thing they need is what we call motive. Now we use wily language in America just like to study Hebrew and Japanese speak japanese a little in never go there and black people have got to realize that language conditions how they fail. Just like for example in English everything in English including black people is by a black male black market and black nigger. All that being. So then we've got to deal out the English to really push our pool so we say the first principle is moot in any mode you mean unity.

Now what does that mean. There are two types of unity. One is idea unity. Well all black people get together for a street corner nationalism all black people get together and move on. Yes sometime later probably after the chariot when we have to deal with however is the realization that people have specific interests so we can waste time on is stuck in a unity but must talk operational unity. Let me that you keep your there we keep. But we all recognize we got one main enemy and would mean ten. The removal of the law the neutralization of the enemy the pinnacle to have the stomach for World. People have got to realize. That there is no such thing

as sitting on the sidelines and hoping things will happen. Don't ask me why can't we get together. Ask yourself. What are you doing about it. Plan so for ever saying niggas can't yet again feel. They are for ever talking about how somebody else is this you know. But the real question is Where do you stay make. So we say everybody should never belong to us. But somebody should belong to some group. The more people that are mobilized opening onto the roof the more accessible they are for example the people here all the mobilize people that is why. Cole could come the convention and get as many people as hear all of you do not necessarily belong to Cole but you can support in the efforts that they make for black people. This operation new unity and that's how we should move.

The second thing we said we must concern ourselves with is to teach our lives which is self-determination. We say we have an obsession with this. That means that we define and speak for ourselves instead of always being defined and spoken for by that means that if we say that we are black that's what we are. We need not explain ourselves to other people especially white people. You see so many things our love and definition when we are alive. Right people. Then that's what happened to her. We became our president of the imagination.

The girls all cried out of the way man's imagination. They are what we say. Slaves are a set of reactions to their slave master because they cannot be fined for them sale there we teach is that is basically would be intellectual. College students that Dave of a new set of definitions that speak to them. For example you say illegitimate baby is in the black community that is not sold. That's true by definition. We should say not illegitimate but illegal illegitimate means would you determine is good. Illegal means were it is a gift. This means long and even black people in general and all black people or illegal. They really shouldn't be a card for the man alone. So do we say that we are here to define ourselves

and not to be defined by others. The third principle we say zou Jima which means simply collective work and responsibility. We say that we can't afford the luxury of individualism. Black people were going around Europe talking about OUR do it my own way. You can do nothing your own way. You have therefore and in 50 years of trying to chip away never made something new I have to your problem is not to move by yourself which is insignificant but to associate with this thing called the black community and build there. You do not care because you individual The thing that saved you from being lives like immaterial and murdered like Medgar Evers is not true social status no you alluded to grieve. It is your absence in there because if you were there. Because if you were them they would have got you because all they wanted was a

nigga. Some need all they need is a good beer and you look just like shuffling scratching head in. Here we are talking about our individual desire for getting black people's collective needs. I want the years. You have the power to get it. Here's a collective mind that a white man who can't see us look to our shiftless lazy King for nothing and nobody not even your own kid in matter. He is what he done he moves in you collectively and you respond individually. Here's where we say. The real you could just from the white man will really make black people get together it is the white man the very

image that this might end in that will unite us because we were not allow you to look through to say my name is Johnny Johnson Rosa. They all he will say you are a nigger you stand in the displays. He will push you back to us. These radicals that you call us and we'll see down there. We will have a place to put you when. The next point there we're is a city which is co-operative economically we always say black people walk around and say they want to dignify with capitalism but in our new capital. They want to talk about said nerve stole to compete with May coming our way. They don't have enough to buy one day's supply. But they want to be careful. This is the thing to put us in the street. They say. This is the thing that put us in this trick bag it is capitalism that got us to

be slavery. It has kept us there exploited us and wouldn't give us Josh. How can we be then it is me we was becoming because Come this is where our soul we cannot say are so many missing. We must deal with Co-operative economics where blacks can get the maximum profit for the maximum number the next thing we move to Izmir which is purpose. What is our purpose. The collective vocation of nation building. We must learn to be real. People and to teach our young people that they mean something to each of them. We must do them. OK. People don't take nationhood seriously because when we say a nation you think about some state somewhere you'd be crying give me courage and. We don't know if we're going to be here. If you can't move according to your own national news are

we making a distinction between a political nation which is requires a man and a culture and nation which just requires people to come and that a system we say black people culture nation therefore they should move to defend their nation by any means necessary. We're not talking about going off somewhere. We're talking about doing what we have to do right here. And if we can enjoy our freedom in any state then nobody should. That's the way we feel about it. The next thing we talk about is coom Hoover means creativity. We say that black people have soul and soul is a composite of three things. Creativity sensitivity any employee of career pivo to me that we are in our own right that we have taken nothing and made something out of it.

We have done that with the pyramids in Egypt. We have done never talks of Benny. We have then never can because of the show. If we have the never to Soul song in America we say we can do it again but in different areas we must stop having more records than we have books and dance in our lives the way we must learn to adjust ourselves to the context in which we find ourselves here and unless we do this and stop giving ourselves to Putin in there we don't want to be created. We will perish along with every of the people who do not realize their mission in history. We say that right. Tend to be in the pursuit of extinction. That is a very frightening thing because black people need to exist. We cannot exist if we do not create for each other. Another thing I'd like to say in terms of creativity is that we must learn to preserve our safety and we cannot preserve ourselves

by being soldiers for white boy. We cannot preserve our sales by going to Vietnam. So then I take the position that black people should refuse to go to Vietnam. And we do that on four bases the first base is that it's a violation of our bases some creativity here. We say that wall is the highest form of destructiveness there and that the white boy is just a freak for destroying and we can't kill them by his development of the gun and modern warfare here spend more money on developing one machine than any other thing. And he has made nothing as creative as a spam is destructive. He loves to be destructive. Even the weight world literature is worth his greatest art form in

literature is the tragedy. Everybody should mean cutting each other. Even today on television on the movie screen you can not say a picture is good unless somebody dies in the same then is a great word because here is destructive that is against our values and we were not put dissipate in a way that is here when we have an alternative. The second thing we say we will not do is violate our second principle which is self-determination. Here is how he is over there bringing freedom to everybody. He's going to run over here. He's going to run over and give the right form of freedom. They don't know how to vote in. They don't know how to set up their own country a great wife father needs to take. We set off a violation of their self-determination. If they wanted to be

move men in disguise. That's their bag. We say everybody should read this. To me. So even if we say self-determination is an obsession to us we will not allow the white man to use us as a pawn then take the self-determination from other people. The next reason we say we will not go to Vietnam is become we are not a citizen. Everybody knows that a citizen is someone who waves were citizens right. Civil right. We still got to be going to Congress and petition for citizens. So how can we be a citizen over our brave means of serving this country should not be any greater than the benefits we get from here. If the wave me wants us to fight. If the white man wants us to 5am in Viet Nam he asked the fight for us

right here in America. We always say only who were fighting Japan in running jogging. That's where black people have been doing fake null over killing yellow people they look more like their tennis quite hokiness. Because the way I misstated. Why me tricks are solitaire since we are slaves and nothing but a set of reaction to the white man stuff he controls us like they're doing a union movement in the early Thomas booky come over here he got wa brothers to do dress up like food's a ruin of their Columcille Buffalo Soldiers shootin. Then they say stuff on killing them all in. We would make a single man out of the.

Old double oso stuff. Then it is same as he was California New Mexico and all is I believe from the Mexican people smoky pseudo meager to say killer makes a girl over there a star to kill a Mexican. Any serious doubt we gonna use him is great picker. Oh double awful stuff. The only clear so Double-O several solar power gear any serious we gotta kill him screechy up sneaky Japanese. Devil so done says the rival. More Japanese than the bomb. Then he says. We need Japanese for God knew. The devil oh so stuff. Then he moved from their position and say well these careers over here just let's get the. Civil devil also late kill all its careers careers got the broadcaster to make a mean frame say wait a

minute what you doing over here when you're merely raping your mama. Oh. Oh. Oh Oh-Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh Oh-Oh double Oh so he finds trauma or whatever away boy gets back up to ship somewhere it just burns look crystal come of. Anything maybe we can plug in a tree. Then he say these if they're not they're shaken need not here will do but. Do what you did to me here if you can. Oh I am glad people have got the word that they've got to move to defend themselves. This may have grown in C and you have allowed it to be don't take you

seriously. He doesn't believe you were a movie gives. He believes that no matter what he does to you people going to whole medium get men jump up in handing the old man what's bad me. Live in the midst of a revolution. Most black people believe the missile revolution going to make a revolution in a strange Cinerama practice read Murrow and fan known color phrases together were scare to get then me can get to me. Too too late we had a revote in Los Angeles. We say go see Watson in the slip there don't you put in a little pocket the rowboat was there all those were both not the ones who vote it belong to old people. A revote is not local It is national. Just like the revolution is not

local is national. Here's where we do we should follow Rahm. Came here to White Board old years because he represents Jesus. That is one thing that has taken the fight out of black people and we are always got to talk Christianity because this is the thing that hasn't slave black people and we don't care people get made every girl say it is. Christianity puts you in the sky. And makes you with theirs in school to stay instead of real history. And it teaches you to love your enemies and hate your brother and people.

Love them and they enter me and fight me. We say we cannot do that. In Vietnam the last reason that we say we will not go is that we are like people always we say people of color as opposed to coalesce people. We don't say why and why. Because none why in the case because everybody not only you must know why. So they we say people of color and the color less and the whole lot of people we work for every day. So we say we belong to the Third World. We would not kill people in the third world and make a bad name for our sale because they need to Dubois a believe in mankind in the EU means believe in the people of color. That's what we've got to be you know like to leave it with the last point that we believe is the value of the money which means free.

You know sometimes it gets so difficult to communicate. You'd be out in the street in the field and you're working and then black people keep saying the only thing you got is fame. Not in some school that's gone. Not m put me wings on him flying away. We always say tongue flying away when all is here you get to be too tired to do anything let alone fly. So we don't talk about there we talk about the sail and the righteousness and victory of our black people learn to believe in people. Then let's move on there and let me give you this quick timetable. We say we start marking history from 96 the FY 96 the fire was the year of the Revo 96 to say the year of Black Power 96 to 7 this year the year of a young line 96 to

8 the year of the Black Panther 96 the non free year of reorganization 1978 a year of separation explaining that means there blunts are going to be for the coming home. We going to be way to. Go. And this is important. Become 1971 is the year of the goodwill and what I want all of crystals to do is in that year 1971 the year of the goodwill of praise a lot of parents the ammunition. That's what the white boy I taught us from Kristanna did. And you know what he said. Now we'll be down. The day before the convention met an open letter to Muhammad Ali signed by

several hundred individuals and organizations appeared in the Oakland Tribune. The chairman of the meeting called I'm da Obama Meyer co chairman of the Oakland P. center. To read this letter but in the last couple of days you probably noticed in the open Tribune a full page ad. Which dealt with the issue of the champ. A lot of people in the Bay Area put their bread together. To make that expression in the newspapers. Mr gone a mile with the speech. He said to us here I would like to have him read that message to you Mr. Grant of mine. And then we will present Mr. McKENZIE. Thank you and we have the open Peace Center would like to welcome Corps International Convention here and more than welcome them we say to them that we strongly need your success. What is to stop the war in Vietnam and

deal with the problems of Oakland. We believe that we need black power and we need it in the United States and we need it and we hope that you come up with a program. To accomplish black power. For several hundred white doctors lawyers ministers professors teachers social workers and other community and professional spokesman. I would like to read the following statement which we inserted in the open Tribune and which we'd like to read. Mohammad Ali. We wish to break the curtain of white silence and welcome you to Oakland horn award for your challenge to the draft. And the Vietnam War from the Congress of Racial Equality is National Convention to us. You are still the world heavyweight boxing champion. There is no justification for the intrusion of a non boxing dispute in the boxing world

decisions and we therefore urge restoration of a title that was wrongfully stripped from you. We applaud the example you have set for black and white American years in challenging the draft of the Vietnam War. Besides this expression of public support we are committing our dollars to support other young men who are petitioning the government for redress of grievances by challenging the draft in the war. That's the statement I'd like this simply personally and. Repeat what was said earlier that in my estimation the kind of moral and ethical example that Muhammad Ali has set for the young men of this country deserves him the title of one of the greatest living Americans. We're proud to welcome you. Floyd McKissic executive director of corps spoke to the meeting

about the work of the organization and presented an award to Muhammad Ali who then made his speech of acceptance of this. Convention. And I say this for the benefit of the press. Is open to you. You may or can the workshops of the convention. And you may appear in our sessions if you are here tonight. We believe that for the first time in history. That you should know and know in no uncertain terms what black people are thinking. We believe that is no longer the time for us to say nice things to you but the time has come for us to tell you the brutal truth if the truth be proved. And I think that sometimes the truth by necessity must be proved. The next thing that we want to say is that some years ago in my and the floor

when I was down there as an attorney. Then I met Mohammed hourly. And I might tell you a minister in fact about meeting him in Miami those few years ago I was down there representing a labor union and under the guise of immigration. We call it immigration. There was another process going on. Of the black labor union being integrated and this was the process. Of black leaper Union a segregated black labor union the union headquarters is now says we're going to come together and make one union. But in the process they were merging. A union of about 500 black people with a white union with a membership of about sixteen hundred.

That means that what you were really going to have was that the white union would take over the black people. Take all of the money that they had. In the bank and to strike an effective week for black people to protect themselves even against unionism itself. Now this is the problems that we face sometimes in the name of immigration. But back it's what you call a process not of immigration. That is what you call a process of absorption where they want to sought you for the purpose of destroying black people as a unit to fight. And as an as an individuals who can protect themselves in the struggle. And these are the kind of days that we have before us and the days are here. It is already been said tonight. It was at that time that when I met my Hammond our leader he took a primary interest and we talked. And we talked about about the Islamic faith and we

talked about the Hama proly larger Mamette in its program. And we talked about the need for programs all over the United States for the good of black people. So it was it was in this set of circumstances that I met the man that we are here to honor tonight. But prior to getting the bat we wanted to make one other thing very clear here this evening. One. Is that the number one problem in this country. Is not black people. The number one problem in this country are resources. When people see. That's your problem. And you see too long have we been looking at this problem in a piecemeal way. One time you go over here and see we want integrated houses the next time you see we've only integrated schools and the next time you see that we will

employ me. And the next time you see well if black people had training then ever all the problems would be over with. But the truth of the matter is if our goal and become a pilot you gotta tell me is airlines that are now going overseas in Europe and Australia getting white pilots to dry out the their planes. You've got to make them stop that. So black boys. Can drive these planes. You see. So the problem real problem in a society is racism. If what we need to do is to put every white man in the schoolhouse and tell him that black people. Just as good as white people have made major contributions to this a sack there. The whole problem is the education of white people. Not the education of black people in this society. And too many times have we let people place to fall upon black people.

And the whole problem is that we've got to educate white society and white society needs to start educating itself and quit putting the blame upon black people in this society. One other point that we want to get clear on. That it was 14 years that we marched the streets with picket signs. And we were saying integrate this and integrate that. You see. After all we were dealing with it. Was a problem over here with the Cadillac coming right out here in this area in San Francisco. And when we got to demonstrate and all of us going to jail and we're paying out about $10000 What did we end up with. We ended up with a white man still owning the cap like franchise. And he's still selling the Cadillacs and some of us a steal by the Cadillacs from him. So what we've got to be concerned with in this convention is coming up.

We've got to be concerned with some economics some economics for black people. These are the things that we've got to be concerned with at this convention and you see when we were marching the streets Holliman about immigration immigration really never affected the black masses. Integration could only affect approximately 10 percent 10 percent of the black people in this country. And each place and each agency that can match people that have one black person and they'd say we are integrated. The airlines will have one students and they say we are integrated in every one of them. We didn't put up a great big sign behind him. We are an equal opportunity employer. See. Now that's become integration. We got. So immigration never really we never really were into what the black menaces when we were talking about integration

because of the black people in Harlem. The black people in any ghetto. Don't just seek integration personally. They're many of them that are going to be in metal for years to come. And it's a whole lot of black people in a society say look here recognizing that this is Hala. Recognizing that we're going to be here. We believe that we ought to pick over Mum. Politically economically and control it from the top to the bottom. We're going to control a school. We're going to console the police. We're going to take all of it. One way to stop brutality cause we got some brothers here that could be don't you. Just in the heart of the white robbery too. And we got to reach him. But one way to stop a whole lot of police brutality is if we just took over the police force in Harlem. We got a method of dealing with the problem.

So a reason to think that we're going to be concerned we're here now to known have we been food by this racist society and not really understand that we as black people have a culture and our culture is equal to any culture in the world to knowing his history and not record it. What we did too long have we been machined up our kinky hair too long have history books told us about the black folks that they wanted us to know about. You see they are tell you about Booker T Washington. You know why. Look at the Washington never let a slave revolt Booker T Washington never cared a good one. And book at the Washington was a good nigger and they called. The police. But now they don't tell you about a cat like Mr. TURNER. NET done.

NET turn him of a man didn't go to mosque. Who have. Been told no school have. U.S. dare tell you that we love slavery they tell you that we love slavery and they will say that. Why Massa and Mrs. sit on the front porch you know and they were listening to old the saloons coming up from the field and they would listen to him and he said listen to the spirituals that the Dock His am singing you see. But the trooper model was that folks when really singing spirituals they were really singing spear Jews. That's just a name that they call it the bank. Every one of them songs if you took out the word Jesus and put freedom in his please you find out what mean folks was talking about you and him days they were talking about Jesus so much. And they used to say here used to have a song called Keep inching along keep inching along that we're no Christian Some old.

One no Christian song. That might live in the in the cotton patches and crawl but just cross slowly. You know just crawling just crawl slowly. And somebody starts singing Swing Low Sweet Chariot. That didn't even know church was coming out of the sky. In God alone his angels were going to come down. That meant that it was a buggy up the road and all you had to do was keep your children home so you could catch the bug. Two fold up. To get to me. But under the ground rules. And what not many black folks happy in slavery. You know we did in North Carolina one time they used to put in the papers in North Carolina to put a picture and have a man and they said it. Ninety six years old who was a former slave says that the reason that he is alive today is because.

He ate all fried food. Drink no drink no liquor. And he prayed to God. And he had good white. Masters in slavery. So we decided one day that we were going to drive around here to see this all on coming. And we did and we want to run and we said our good name. Are Coming. You see what's in the paper here he said. Acking read when you read it for me. And so we read it and what was said in the paper he said along the muscle. He said you know one thing I remember when that white boy came here and told me he wanted to take my picture. And is not what he said about me. I said yes he said that you were happy in slavery. He said a lot to hold the cause. But let me tell you one thing. And he took off his shirt and laid down his back and he

said if that white man said that I was happy in slavery. Look at these marks on my back. Do you believe it. And when we looked at the back of this man who was 96 years old we knew that he hadn't told anybody that kind of life. And these are the kind of conceptions that they build up about because these are the kind of conceptions that we got to stop know to tell you about a book that The Washington but they won't tell you about. They will tell you about a beer mug seizing a man who fought for freedom and a man who got off to fight for freedom. They won't tell you about that. They only tell you what's you going to be control which is just like religion or religion they teach you religion and your religion is. And I wrote a letter to Mohammed Ali and I told him in that letter. That the first thing here this religion that you get you better watch

better watch a take. Because on one hand they teach you to be nonviolent. Just breathe and everything is going to come. Just get on your knees and pre and then to tell you to love everybody. Well love is all right I believe in love. I've got a wife. You see and I believe in love. But I'm going to tell you this that if you get on your knees and preach until doomsday you get your problem solved. You're going to have to get out here and get some work done. So this convention that we're concerned with at this time in history is concerned with program matic. Considerations. Corn has a number of programs. That we have partially in use some that we don't have in use because we do not have money. Some live we don't have in use because

we don't have the money to put them in use some that we want to put into use with the little funds that we've got. And we believe that the time has come now when we as a civil rights organization ought to spread ourselves and become the black common front. And here we're going to carry out and execute programs that have never been carried out before. But there's one thing that I think we'd better give very serious attention to and this convention had better do it there is appeal take in Congress not. Call them anti rugby. Let me tell you in the first place there is no such thing as a right. You hear all these things happening over the country. Violence here violence there. Let me tell you something. Let's get this thing straight. These are black people saying all for my Mac treat me like a man.

Oh OK. And we ought to strike that word from our vocabulary. These come rebellions these are rebellions up like people in this country. And you could stop being characterized. As wrong. Not a second point I want to make clear let me tell you something. If you sum up the press is trying to see. That these acts that occurred are communist inspired. And I want to tell you this in case you don't know it Mr. Press. Nobody but nobody. Would not man has got his foot on the nape of my neck needs to teach me any ideology from you please. This is footage of her. And when I say get Joe food off of my leg I don't need no ideology

I'm noise but unlike ale and I don't take it but so much alone. Let's get that misses because out of fear. Not is beyond us in Congress. They've already dumped it. They've got a popular movie fun. Let me tell you something weird up in it they call it the stop Stokely bill. Stop Stokely Beale talking about Stokely Carmichael. Let's get the record straight here. Any party can cool off. That trial foods. No matter how bad that community is no matter the usable presuming that a white man is put on not community thinks and we are subject to prosecution on that. Let me tell you one thing you can't shift the blade by making a white low in Washington straddling upstart justifiably. And stopping us from Carrow missed work. And let me tell you one other thing. This

eat the stuff Stokely Carmichael. This bill is to stop black people. That's what is against the old. Probably the old. You see we as black people gotta watch these things. When they cut down Adam Clayton Powell when they cut him down. They wouldn't come down Adam Clayton Powell they dude we were talking about black power and only black congressman we heard was Adam Clayton Powell and they'd know when they took Adam Clayton Powell down. They would destroy. And it would take you to low or low yield before you have a good upright man at the chairman of a committee. The oath. Man we live in a racist society and they trying to set up the machinery now.

And we got the deal with this issue at this convention because God strike me. Right here. What happens to Stokely Carmichael. Is my responsibility and your responsibility. And we got to work. And thank you. Thank. You. Thank you. I really didn't get up you're making a long speech tonight because this is my. This is my have a values night but these are the things we've got to deal with at this convention here. Snick is an important part young militants in a society must exist and must kneel. We must see to it at all that this issue clearly. So we're going to have to do something about that bill in Congress we can and

this is what this forum is for this weekend. Now I want to go to one other thing. I want to go to one other thing here. And that is about the nation of our Islam and me on a broom. My Hemet. I meet. Also only on upholding the larger Mohammed. Do we owe a debt. Because it is heat it is heat and this is some black people got a wake up call. You better quit letting white people tell you that you can associate with this man because you got another religion. Thank. You. Thank you. I don't run from it now I don't know how to. I have our represented.

The nation of Iceland as an attorney in court years before Kilgore. Nobody is going to tell me nobody is going to tell me that is anything wrong with the Nation of Islam. I know these people who look to be as good a people as anybody else. If the Constitution speaks for white people and they can go out and choose any religion they are well what they're really trying to say of the Constitution only speaks for black people when they choose the kind of religion that white folks approval. The old you. Man we got dizzy issue to be dealt with here. And I will tell you our phone and whoa whoa do I got to prove it. Let me tell you fighting no more whoa

whoa no no. I'm not going to Viet Nam unless I go on my own when I want to go see you know courage and nobody else. The girl. I will tell you that story did people over there fighting the Civil War. That's all it is a civil war. And they are trying to get to your compression office and now. They are fighting the full movie that me and a great many United States empower. The great nation that can make a coup when it comes it one can make it in Africa and could make it in Asia they own the rooms are they on the wrong side and I don't know if this nation that they will be on the wrong start when something happens in the union to South Africa with

all. The money. They pull one of them won't and I'm willing to fight. And I and I'm up to you right now. I believed in nonviolence the number yes I practice it. But you see I'm going to tell you why I'm a be real frank with you. You see I believed in that thing and I thought that it was a conscience in this country. I thought that there was some morality in the society that could be reached by even career you know and. I thought that we could reach this man and make him weak up. But you see things have gotten progressively worse. In this country. And this man doesn't have to tell you just like he did the Jews over in Germany he had looked in Lanham up until you say this is genocide and you all got to put dissipate. He didn't love them up like that. He just started doing something. Let me

tell you something here babies. This boat is shaken to what to greet reactionary Congress own. First of all a castrated Adam Clayton Powell mislead castrates every black man who stands up to see what he believes that the truth. Didn't come right around right around nearly castrated one of the illegal take the power away from you. I. The only. One here were right to fight in this country. City and they will turn around to go castrate each and everyone one by one who stands up to speak. So you know how I know what it's all about now because I'm old enough that I'm old enough to know what it's all about.

I went into court and I knew what equal justice under law means spring and when somebody starts telling me about Lo and although I wake up at night screaming remember the ballistic that hit me upside my ear and they will clear the streets in the name of law and order. So we got to redefine and rephrase some of these things. So you fuck up the gold. And if I'm too Goo and get wasted then come in there and send me over to the Union of South Africa and let us brothers all be over. I was. Thousand. No my good friend was a very racist society you live in in a small razor that the white people themselves believed always are right. Everything we think is right. You know one other point here we are living in two worlds.

We got a black world here white world and we don't make and we don't communicate in a nice cats with all these big universities and all the millions of dollars they still don't know us. And they still haven't been able to reach us. And you know you don't reasonably can reach us in these two worlds. They really have to try and give less to Mme. That's to help some. You see if they really wanted to do something to help the MIT MIT they sit down here worked out a time schedule. That man has never been violent before and to what time the astronauts were going to land in the womb and set up a satellite all around the world here and yet make you sit down and work out a program as to what's to be the salvation for black people. These things are consistent. So we got two forwards we got a black world they don't understand me and I don't want to stand them but I understand them a damn sight better they understand me just as you.

Say it's too long and I have to work in the kitchens. The bells do the bus beat a lawn boy shine shoes and I remember it was a whole long way for me to make it and I remember when I used to shine shoes you see and one day we shine issues than and this white fella came up you know and they said they were talking to you know. What I'm saying. We got to go to this game tonight. This is rob niggas hit and not a good look. It's ok spit on me. And rub my heel. I was a kid I was a kid. Now if something happened to me if my Who is that lucky. For white folks. You know. What good would not it do to me. Or as a loan store I'm write my autobiography about how I came up. Then I

remember you see my bed it wasn't. My bed. Was it was I hit. My. Head bellman at the hotel in the mountains of a shrill North Carolina college George Vanderbilt that happened brought up. And I will build it right. I mean brother what my folks will do to you. I don't know but. I don't know about you. But I am a zipped up member one day I was trying to get my money to go to school trying to go to Morehouse College. In Atlanta Georgia I was shown it was shoe shine and these folks issues you know John in a man's shoes and when a man got to the other boys he always said thank you Captain. You're just a paternal. That is the traditional name to give an example of a white man. So I jumped up and I said thank you Captain thank you. And my old man came from nowhere. And he grabbed me by one ear and he twisted me took me all in a cold and he said Look man I'm a PMA can this leave ever

grinning in a man's face. My back is halfway from trying to make it so I could get all for you all in college and said Let me tell you one thing right now I'd rather have you did it and let me hear you are comin to a white man animal and say let me thank OK and he came up and said No you. never forget his plastic words. He said he would never kiss the family the eagle people the people and that's me monster. So I'm not easily kind of problems that we face as black people in this free society in even the control flow control you can't think right. You know we got people that read to people every day to pick up the people and what they read on the front page of the white people they take it for

long you see and they don't like people and many get single print everything we do is have a press conference to update. All of the press me and said Mohammed what about so-and-so Mohammed Ali what about so-and-so and we turned on the radio 10 minutes later we heard the press conference of two three different stages and everyone said cash just delete. And let it is we think that the movie star movie star has been changing its all in life. Nobody ever said love. You. And this is a thing of these two worlds. These two were just black one and a white one and never got together never got together. We don't know what they don't know how I think. Not right now to our severe. Weather. But if the average black folks who work for white folks got on this week they

would have to take home a little piece of silver for what they need to see. And let me steal it. Come from that's what they call it just making. You just gotta make it illegal. And if the abilities and wages. So here we got these two words we never understand. Now I want to make this award this time. I'm going to be talking a whole lot more for these few days old and at this time. One of the great Americans one of the great Americans in this country in fact if not the live is the greatest living American in this country today. Is Mohammed Ali. And here.

Is one of the greatest. He is one of the greatest men not because he's got a lot of money. Not because he's handsome. But he's a great man simply because it suits you. People who live by their convictions. That's the key to. That. And this award has fallen. To Mohammed Ali. On behalf. Of the Congress of Racial Equality. For being the greatest heavyweight champion of all time. I'm bringing honor and glory. To millions of

black people throughout the world. For bringing truth to millions of black men and women. Through your ministry for refusing to fight. Against other nonwhite peoples in the MRO unjust war in Vietnam. And most of all for being true to yourselves. For being true to your people your religion and to your leader the unapproved by having a larger one. Hours. For. For each.

First of all I think most of my kids are such a beautiful introduction and out of everybody here visitors and friends and I would also like to compliment you because you really made it just about 11:30 and you've been here since I imagine seven o'clock and I'm not going into a lengthy speech because you have been taught and there's nothing much that I can say now. I had a few words that I wanted to say but in a more diplomatic way. Which is what I will say and I like to compliment those of you here of the white race for being able to sit here and I will say these are what you call real mean real women you can sit here and listen to so much in the office. For. Arab.

I would say that this is the first white white face in the problem and it is a truth heard and people heard today was really true and I don't think many of us of black could be an all white auditorium with 90 percent of people being white all the people in the platform white talk about you like us I don't think you can make it was of of so not here to ridicule whites or condemn whites. I'm just here to let you know that I'm thankful for the award and the main cause of you being here today is peace and the main thing that the whole world is destine for today is peace we have a secret meeting for as. Watch you having secret meetings daily in the White House and meetings all over the world

for peace every president every country every nation wants peace. And we here in America. The problem between the blacks and whites our main struggle although our approach is different but the main calls an alternative is peace and we can never have peace without freedom justice and equality not only of Arabs where there's no freedom where there is no justice where there's no equality. Impossible to have peace because different depriving people and nation of people such as the 22 million here in America in many places in the world black and white. Depriving human beings of freedom depriving him of Justice depriving him of equality of merit or magically brings dissatisfaction and this automatically brings hostility and fights.

And there will never be peace. Why there's just as there is peace where there is peace there is automatically justice and the word is law on our religion. We declare ourselves to be Muslims and followers of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Our religion is peace the real name of Islam I tell him is an Arabic name which means in peace Islam means one who submits entirely to the will of the divine and supreme being are very greedy in this piece. I saw him a little while later and so now I Salaam aleikum means may peace be unto you. In the Arabic language. So this is all we want. Today we follow the Honorable Elijah Muhammad is not a radical violent solution is just the best way that two people can come together. Arming to say the best way that two people can come together is to set down and discuss this problem 400 year old problem in a civilised intelligent way since we are civilised people they are both black and white. We can not win

it in street riots we cannot waited in demonstrations and violence because only the black people are going to be the ones to suffer because of rocks and sticks and hollering and breaking windows and burning buildings will not work against National Guard moms with bazookas of machine guns and all of the it we have just heard recordings of the speeches given at a mass rally in the Oakland Arena on Friday June 30th. This rally was the opening session of the 24th annual Corps convention. Muhammad Ali was the guest of honor and other speakers included Dick Gregory and Floyd McKissic executive director of corps. Your narrator Purcell tonight Thompson.