“Our grandfathers had to run, run, run. My generation's out of breath. We ain't running no more” - Stokely Carmichael
(Stokely Carmichael)
Stokely Carmichael was born on June 29th, 1941 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. In 1952 he moved to Harlem, NY, USA. He then moved to the East Bronx. He attended Bronx High School of Science. In 1960 he attended Howard university.
(Carmichael in 1960)
While at Howard he joined Nonviolent Action Group (NAG). In 1961 he participated in the Freedom Rides of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). With 8 other activists Carmichael traveled by train from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Jackson, Mississippi, to integrate the formerly "white" section on the train. they encountered white protestors blocking the way. The activists were charged with disturbing the peace, arrested and taken to jail. He served 49 days with other activists at the Parchman State Prison Farm.
(Carmichael's mugshot)
In 1964 he graduated with a philosophy degree. He also joined SNCC. Throughout Freedom Summer, he worked with grassroots African American activists, including Fannie Lou Hamer. During a protest in Maryland Carmichael was hit directly in a chemical gas attack by the National Guard and had to be hospitalized.
(Carmichael in 1964)
In 1965 he participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches. Also in 1965 working as a SNCC activist in the black majority Lowndes County, Carmichael helped to increase the number of registered black voters from 70 to 2,600.
(Carmichael in 1965)
In 1966 Carmichael became chairman of SNCC. Carmichael joined Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Floyd McKissick, Cleveland Sellers and others to continue James Meredith's march.
(Carmichael (Right) with Dr. King (Left))
After the march Carmichael made a speech using the slogan “Black Power”.
(Carmichael making his “Black Power” speech)
Under Carmichael's term, SNCC continued to maintain a coalition with several white radical organizations, most notably Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). SNCC conducted its first actions against the military draft and the Vietnam War under Carmichael's leadership. Carmichael popularized the oft-repeated anti draft slogan, "Hell no-We won't go!".
(Carmichael making a speech)
In 1967 Carmichael left SNCC. Also in 1967 he wrote the book Black Power. He also visited Guinea, North Vietnam, China, Cuba and the UK in 1967.
(Carmichael (Left) with Kwame Nkrumah (Center) and Shirley Dubois (Right))
In 1968 Carmichael was targeted by FBI COINTELPRO. Also in 1968 after Dr. King’s assassination Carmichael led a group through the streets of Washington D.C., demanding that businesses close out of respect.
(Carmichael in 1968)
Also in 1968 he married Miriam Makeba. In 1969 they moved to Guinea.
(Carmichael (Right) with his wife Miriam Makeba (Left))
He then changed his name to Kwame Ture. In 1971 he published his collected essays in a second book, Stokely Speaks: Black Power Back to Pan-Africanism.
(Carmichael in 1971)
In 1986 Ture was arrested for his past association with Ahmed Touré, and jailed him for three days on suspicion of attempting to overthrow the government. Ture worked with the All-African People's Revolutionary Party (A-APRP) for the rest of his life. He spoke on its behalf on several continents at innumerable college campuses, in community centers and other venues. Great Britain and Trinidad & Tobago banned Ture from speaking there for fear that he would arouse African descended people in those countries. In 1996 Ture was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Ture was treated for a period in Cuba, while receiving some support from the Nation of Islam.
(Ture in 1996)
Benefit concerts for Ture were held in Denver, New York City, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C.,to help defray his medical expenses. On November 15th, 1998 Kwame Ture died of Prostate Cancer in Conakry, Guinea. He was 57 years old.
(Ture in 1998)
Today is the 18th anniversary of his death. Take time to remember this great activist today.
Videos of Kwame Ture
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxrzTsfpPfM “STOKELY CARMICHAEL POWERFUL SPEECH”
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKP5_qyGs8c “Stokely Carmichael "We Ain't Going" Speech”
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToPcoNwEGW4 “Clips of Kwame Ture Stokely Carmichael and H Rap Brown Speaking At The Free Huey Rally 1968”
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_QbWDoJBvk “Stokely Carmichael - Passive Boycotts”
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOILkkjtg6Y “Stokley Carmichael interview-excerpt”
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOLrPQkQR8o “RBG| Kwame Ture (fna Stokely Carmichael) The Importance of Studying History”
(P.S. sorry for the late post)
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