#malcolmx

"The power structure had successfully created the image of the American Negro as someone with no confidence, no militancy. And they had done this by giving him images of heroes that weren't truly militant or confident. And now here comes Cassius, the exact contrast of everything that was representative of the Negro image. He said he was the greatest, all of the odds were against him, he upset the odds makers, he won...They knew that if people began to identify with Cassius and the type of image he was creating they were going to have trouble out of these Negroes because they'd have Negroes walking around the streets saying "I'm the greatest."

-Malcolm X

He asked the questions they never wanted to be answered.

And decades later… we’re still responding.

If knowing who you are changes how you move, what happens when an entire people remember?

Watch closely. Then tell me— which question hit you the hardest?

MLK

A Call to Conscience: The Moral Crisis of Abandonment

My brothers and sisters, we gather here today not out of mere routine, not for empty ceremony, but because the conscience of humanity demands that we rise and speak. We are here because a great injustice is being committed before our very eyes, an injustice that threatens the lives of millions across the globe. The United States government has chosen, in a moment of cold calculation, to close the doors of aid and relief, to silence the hand that has long reached out to the poor, the hungry, and the suffering. The abrupt dismantling of USAID is not just a policy decision; it is a moral catastrophe.

For decades, America has proclaimed itself a beacon of hope to the world. We have preached democracy in foreign lands, sung the songs of justice and compassion, and declared that all men are created equal. But what does it mean to proclaim justice if we abandon those who need it most? What does it mean to declare equality if our actions deny life itself to the least among us?

We are at a moment of moral reckoning. For those who dwell in the comfort of privilege, this may seem like another bureaucratic decision, a shift in government priorities. But for the child in sub-Saharan Africa who will go without medicine, for the mother in Latin America whose hands tremble as she searches for food that is no longer there, for the refugee in the Middle East whose future now darkens under the shadow of neglect—this decision is not policy. It is a sentence of suffering. It is a death knell ringing across continents.

The scriptures remind us that "whatsoever you do unto the least of these, you do also unto me." America, what have we done to the least of these? Have we extended a hand, or have we withdrawn it in indifference? Have we sought to lift up, or have we turned our backs, leaving the vulnerable to fend for themselves in a world that has already dealt them hardship upon hardship?

I say to you today, we must not be silent. Silence in the face of injustice is complicity with evil. Silence in the face of suffering is a betrayal of our highest ideals. We must speak, and we must act.

We must appeal to the conscience of our nation, to those in halls of power who still have ears to hear and hearts that can be stirred. We must organize, not in anger but in righteous determination. We must rally our communities, raise our voices, and demand that this lifeline to the world’s most vulnerable not be severed. And if the government turns a deaf ear, then we, the people of conscience, must become that lifeline ourselves.

History will not forget this moment. Future generations will ask what we did when the poor cried out, when the sick reached for healing, when the hungry looked for bread. Let it not be said that we turned away. Let it not be said that we chose comfort over conviction, indifference over action. Let it be written that we stood up, that we fought for justice, that we remembered the sacred duty of love and compassion.

And so I call upon you now—not to despair, but to hope. Not to retreat, but to advance. Let us move forward together with the strength of our ancestors, with the power of justice, with the unwavering belief that right is stronger than might, that love is greater than hate, and that when the people rise up for righteousness, no force on earth can stand against them.

We shall overcome this moment. We shall redeem the soul of our nation. And we shall not rest until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

May God bless you, and may God bless the least of these, whose voices we must never abandon.

Malcolm X

By Any Means Necessary: Confronting the Betrayal of the People

Brothers and sisters, we are gathered here today because we are witnessing a crime against humanity, a betrayal of the weak, a declaration of war against the poor! The United States government has decided to shut down USAID, and with it, they have signed a death sentence for millions across the globe. They are pulling back the lifeline that so many depend on, leaving them to struggle, suffer, and die in silence. But I say to you, we will not be silent!

For too long, this government has played a double game. They speak of democracy, justice, and compassion, yet they turn around and abandon those who have trusted in their promises. They send aid when it serves their interests, but when the people truly need them—when there is no political gain—they vanish like thieves in the night. They have made it clear: their so-called humanitarianism is nothing but a weapon of control, a tool of manipulation.

Now that they can no longer use it for their own gain, they have decided to take it away. But understand this—they are not just cutting funding, they are cutting throats. They are leaving entire nations to starve, children to die of disease, families to struggle in the shadows of broken promises. And they expect us to sit by, to bow our heads, to beg for their mercy.

I say NO! We must rise up and take control of our own destiny! No longer can we rely on the false generosity of those who see us as nothing but pawns in their global chess game. No longer can we afford to wait for justice to come from the hands of those who have never known justice themselves. If they will not stand with the oppressed, then the oppressed must stand together!

We must organize. We must educate. We must build our own networks of support. We must demand that our leaders, our communities, our people step up and fill the void that this government has left. We must hold them accountable, not just with words, but with action! If they shut down USAID, then let us create our own aid. If they close the doors, then let us break down the walls of dependence and build something stronger, something truly for the people, by the people!

They want us to believe that without them, we are helpless. They want us to think that without their charity, we will wither away. But we are not weak! We are not helpless! We have survived centuries of oppression, we have overcome every obstacle thrown in our path, and we will overcome this too—by any means necessary!

So I say to you today, let this be the last time we look to them for salvation. Let this be the moment we realize our own power. Let this be the fire that ignites a movement—not just for aid, but for true independence, for true liberation! We will not beg for crumbs when we can build our own tables! We will not cry for justice from the unjust—we will claim it for ourselves!

And when history looks back on this moment, let it not be said that we waited for mercy. Let it be said that we stood up, that we fought back, that we seized our future with our own hands. Because we know the truth: freedom is never given. It is taken!

Power to the people!

Stokley Carmichael

Power and Self-Determination: Rejecting Dependence, Building Our Own

Brothers and sisters, let’s be clear about what we are witnessing today. The United States government has decided to shut down USAID, pulling back aid, pulling back resources, pulling back their so-called helping hand. And some of us are surprised? Some of us are in shock? I say, wake up! This is the same government that has always put its own interests before the people. This is the same system that has never cared about the suffering of Black and brown people here or abroad. So today is not a tragedy—it is a revelation!

For too long, we have relied on the charity of those who do not see us as equals. We have waited on handouts, crumbs from the table of empire, thinking that these institutions exist to save us. But let me tell you something—freedom does not come from handouts! Liberation does not come from the benevolence of oppressors!

The closing of USAID is not just about the government cutting aid. It is about them reminding us, once again, that they are not here to serve our interests. It is about them saying, “If you cannot be used, you will be discarded.” And if that is the case, then we must be clear about our response—we will not beg, we will not plead, and we will not break. We will organize!

We will take this moment to strengthen our own institutions, to build our own networks, to empower our own people. We do not need their charity. We need power. We need self-determination. We need control over our own resources, our own food, our own healthcare, our own schools, our own futures. And we will build that, not by waiting for them to change, but by changing the conditions ourselves.

Now is not the time for despair. Now is the time for action! If they take away aid, we will create our own. If they deny us resources, we will find our own. If they turn their backs, we will turn to one another and lift each other up. This is what real power looks like—not dependence on the oppressor, but independence from the oppressor!

History has taught us that we cannot trust this system to care for us. History has shown us that our survival has always depended on our own unity, our own leadership, our own strength. So let’s stop waiting, stop hoping, stop pleading—and start building!

Let this be the moment when we take control of our own destiny. Let this be the moment when we move past the illusion of aid and step into the reality of self-determination. Let this be the moment when we stand up as a people and say, once and for all, we will never be dependent on those who do not have our best interests at heart.

The struggle continues, but we are ready! All power to the people!

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Of course have to throw in some pics if these civil rights leaders were still alive