Kwame Ture (aka Stokely Carmichael)

"Kwame Ture was born Stokely Carmichael on June 29, 1941 in Port of Spain, Trinidad, the son of Adolphus and Mabel Carmichael. He immigrated to the United States in 1952 with his family and settled in New York, New York. He graduated from the academically elite Bronx High School of Science in 1960 and made the decision to attend Howard University. Howard University conferred on him a Bachelor of Science Degree in Philosophy in 1964. It was while in Washington that Stokely became deeply involved in the "Freedom Rides," "Sit-Ins," and other demonstrations to challenge segregation in American society.......

While residing in Africa, Stokely Carmichael changed his name to "Kwame Ture" to honor Kwame Nkrumah, who led Ghana to independence from Britain, and, Sekou Toure, who was President of Guinea and his mentor. For more than 30 years, Ture led the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party and devoted the rest of his life to Pan Africanism, a movement to uproot the inequities of racism for people of African descent and to develop an economic and cultural coalition among the African Diaspora......

In 1998, at the age of 57, Kwame Ture died from complications of prostate cancer. To the end he answered the telephone, "ready for the revolution."
Saturday, May 8
Howard University Commencement 1999


It is our duty as students here at Howard University to continue the legacy of Kwame Ture through attaining higher education and using our knowledge to make a positive change not only in "Black America", but throughout the world--to always be "ready for the revolution."

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Were we worth the fight ?

This week in freshman seminar we explored a more recent stage of oppression that African Americans faced. We discussed segregation and its effect on the black community. When Dr. Wright spoke about segregation, the three points that stuck out to me the most during the lecture was that segregation helped the black community, that people of color were more eager to learn that teens today, and the new generation at Howard University are not inspired to change the injustices that go on at their own campus.

When Dr. Wright said segregation helped people, I was quite confused because from what I learned in was a horrible time for colored people. He made me realize that colored people needed segregation to unite them. By segregation occurring all colored united and helped each other and protected each other from the oppression. This made me realize that everything happens for a reason, if it wasn’t for segregation, colored people would have never fought for their rights and I probably wouldn’t be considered “equal” today.

Secondly, Dr. Wright discussed the colored peoples eagerness to learn and do good in school; unlike the way our generation is today. Back during the time of segregation people sent their kids to school and not doing your best wasn’t an option. Nowadays, minorities are failing in school drastically and dropping out is common. I don’t understand why during the times of inequality and suffering minorities strived for success to be free from oppression. But now that we are free, we don’t use everything that our ancestors fought for. Its like they fought for our freedom for nothing.

Lastly, the idea that our generation are not inspired to change the injustices that go on at our own campus really hit me; the fact that our school is now making it harder to receive a college education. They raise our tuition last minute and expect us to have the money to pay it. The financial aid office doesn’t give out great financial aid packages. Finally, they are going to purge anyone who doesn’t pay their tuition. To not allow a large percent of their student body to attend classes due to money is absurd. But we, Howard University’s “legacy” sit and do nothing.

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