Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture) who lived a life of passion, determination, perseverance, and dedication to the cause of international black people's progress. Once identified by J. Edgar Hoover as "the most dangerous man in America", also identified by the sitting United States President as an enemy of the state. Stokely whose every move was cataloged by surveillance agents of the FBI, CIA, and the Defense Department simply because on June 16, 1966, Stokely Carmichael awoke a black nation of young movers and shakers with these two words, black power. I celebrate the date of Stokely Carmichael's powerful pronouncement by revisiting that day with the words of his impassioned plea that shook not only Black America but the very foundations of White America. Let us honor Stokely's memory by continuing the fight for true international civil rights for all peoples of color.​

BLACK POWER SPEECH
Greenwood, Mississippi
Meredith March Against Fear

On June 16, 1966, Stokely Carmichael changed the course of the American Civil Rights Movement for African Americans in the muggy evening air in Greenwood, Mississippi with two powerful words, Black Power.

"Those two words embolden the youths in America's black communities to thrust themselves into a new militancy.
Those two words implied that no longer would our communities wait for a change.
Those two words demanded change."

So, when this new black militancy arrived a generation of black men and women began renewed systematic battle that was launched by local, state and federal government forces to disrupt those calls for change. Stokely Carmichael was at the head of these new agents of change. Stokely had been a non-violent advocate for civil rights freedom now he was demanding that change must come at any cost. It was those two words that identified Stokely Carmichael as Public Enemy Number by every white agency of black suppression. The racial lines had been clearly drawn the mechanisms of law enforcement sought to destroy not only Stokely Carmichael but also every entity that aligned with this newly minted philosophy.

America's urban areas became battlegrounds as well as areas that saw an influx of ​guns and drugs delivered by a government that conjured up methods of destruction that literally erased complete black communities. These strategies cause widespread death, incarceration, increased poverty, and delivered blows to our communities still being felt 53 years later. Two words put the fear into the white establishment that an empowered people would force positive changes in black communities. Those positive changes that Carmichael envisioned still are unattainable today. Yet we hope that power in blackness will be achieved.

Don't get it twisted. If you think that power broking white supremacists really give a damn about taking down the archaic civil war statutes that were so prominent in southern cities and towns, you are kidding yourself. We cannot continue to be so damn gullible. It's ridiculous that anyone in our black communities really think white power structure really cares about those old civil war relics. Those statues served there purpose and now the game has changed. The controlling aspects of media and communications promote the ideals of white supremacy for those agents of white supremacy.

The primary objective has and will always be the domination of the colored race by the white race in this nation.They have always felt that this country of America is their sacred land of devilment. The land was stolen by their white forefathers from black and red people and no other race shall impede on that privilege​ of stolen ownership. They only care about maintaining white supremacy and they will do everything, and anything necessary to ensure the position of dominance. America is so ingrained with prejudice institutionally, and socially​ that those powers will continue divert and deceive the public just as long as it serves the needs of their ultimate objective, statues are no statues.

So, as move towards the end of the month let me revisit my creative piece from 2017 regarding the removal of racist statues, and the irrelevance of there removal towards erasing the plague of racism in this nation.

Before Robert F. Williams was advocating an armed struggle in North Carolina in the early 1960s’, before The Deacons for Defense were founded in Louisana to protect civil rights marchers and workers, before Stokely Carmichael spoke to the crowd in Greenwood, Mississippi, in June of 1966, before The Black Panther Party For Self Defense was founded in Oakland, California on October 15, 1966, and advocated black power, before H Rap Brown spoke of the legacy of violence that was formulated against black people in this nation, before Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Paul Robeson, Booker T. Washington, Dubois, Trotter, there was John E. Bruce, better known as “Bruce Grit” to the those in conscious in the black communities throughout this nation.

John E. Bruce was described in 1901 as the “prince of Negro newspaper correspondents.” He was the author of The Bloody Red Record, a compilation of lynchings in the United States published in 1901. This compilation of lynchings came before the advocacy of Ida Belle Wells-Barnett at a time when any Blackman speaking out against the tactics of white oppression was putting a target on his chest for physical retribution by the oppressors. During that time Jim Crow was ramping up in the southern states of this nation. Some of those tactics were being adopted in many states of the north as well. They were very few black people who were aware of the organized efforts to fight the forces of white supremacy. They were very few blacks aware that a call was made to develop organized resistance against lynching and as well as white mob violence that was perpetrated against blacks in this nation in the late 19th Century.

In this speech, I am reading aloud today John E. Bruce, “Bruce Grit”, came before an audience of black Americans in an undisclosed location. He called on African Americans to apply the principle of self-defense against the white terrorists who were seeking to harm them. He also desired that Black Americans begin to fight collectively against those forces of evil white supremacy. The Blackman Who Reads Aloud brings to you the words of John E. Bruce as he spoke them on October 5, 1889, only 34 years after black Americans were freed from the shackles of slavery.


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The Honorable Elijah Muhammad
Day 23
Message To Blackman In America
Foreword
Chapters 1-4

There is no doubt that the Honorable Minister Elijah Muhammad was indeed one of the more powerful black leaders of the 20th Century. It has been 45 years since the Honorable Elijah Muhammad took his last breath. He lived a life in direct conflict with the white institutions that promoted white supremacy because it was the goal of Elijah Muhammad’s followers to promote and thrive in an atmosphere of black race supremacy. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad was responsible for the transformation of Malcolm Little petty criminal to becoming Malcolm X, worldwide religious leader. There may have been a split in there philosophical differences at the end of Malcolm ax’s tragic death but no one can deny Muhammad’s influence on Malcolm X. Today, on my blog I bring the written words of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s Message To The Blackman. I come not to judge the Supreme Minister but simply to recognize the impact he had on black communities throughout this nation.