Soul! EP # 319 (517) "Wherever We May Be"
Soul! EP # 319 (517) "Wherever We May Be"
Soul! EP # 319 (517) "Wherever We May Be." Ellis Haizlip interviews Stokely Carmichael.
Soul! EP # 319 (517) "Wherever We May Be"
(This segment in B&W) SNCC Chariman Stokely Carmichael speaks at civil rights rally in Jackson, Mississippi, 1966 (note James Meredith sitting to his left, wearing pithe-like hat): "I want to talk to black people across this country. There are four things that we have to do. Number one is we have to stop being ashamed of being black. Number two is we have to move into a position where we can define terms for what we want them to be, not what racist white society wants it to be. We have to move to define. We have to move to a position where we can feel strength & unity amongst each other from Watts to Harlem where we won't ever be afraid. And the last thing we have to do is built a power base so strong in this country that it will bring them to their knees every time they mess w/ us."
Soul! EP # 319 (517) "Wherever We May Be"
Gerry Bledsoe introduces program in voiceover. Ellis Haizlip introduces Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture), conducts interview, welcomes him home, but Mr. Carmichael politely rebuffs him: "Home is in Africa. You may welcome me back to America." Mr. Carmichael says he was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad in 1941, for where he cannot return b/c he has been deemed "personna non grata" by the Trinidad government. Stokely Carmichael says he has technical dual citizenship w/ Guinea & the U.S.
Soul! EP # 319 (517) "Wherever We May Be"
Ellis Haizlip interviews Stokely Carmichael. Mr. Carmichael recounts the hardship & hard work during his hardscrabble experience w/ SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), the "vanguard movement" of the 1960s. "History has proven that it was the correct tactic at that time, to in fact take a nonviolent tactical approach in order to build the contradictions & heighten the consciousness of our people." Mr. Carmichael says noviolence was merely a tactic, saying that there were SNCC members who carried firearms at the time.
Soul! EP # 319 (517) "Wherever We May Be"
Ellis Hailzip continues to interview Stokely Carmichael. Mr. Carmichael says he moved into Mississippi during the Freedom Rides of the early 1960s. Mr. Carmichael discusses the history & objectives of the Freedom Ride movement, then the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. Mr. Carmichael says SNCC lost 17 members to hate crimes, but forged onward due to their strength & resolve.
Soul! EP # 319 (517) "Wherever We May Be"
FOR FULL CLIP WITH AUDIO, PLEASE CONTACT WPA. Ellis Haizlip continues to interview Stokely Carmichael, who says he respected and honored Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Stokely Carmichael praises MLK's theory of nonviolence being put into action, and his significant powers of speech & mobilization. Stokely Carmichael says he has no regrets over anything he has done in the past, and will continue to work hard for his people until the day he dies.
Soul! EP # 319 (517) "Wherever We May Be"
Ellis Haizlip continues to interview Stokely Carmichael. Mr. Carmichael discusses the significance of his famous 1966 Black Power speech & how it related to SNCC. Mr. Carmichael says his intention was not to "sit next to a white man" but to ensure that the white man could not tell him what to do, when to do it, how to do it, etc. "If the only tactic we had at that point was nonviolence, then we will use that tactic to show you that no man can limit our life, that we will do what we want to do, that we will go where we want to, and will act how we want to act." "History never gets written correctly."
Soul! EP # 319 (517) "Wherever We May Be"
Ellis Haizlip continues to interview Stokely Camichael. Mr. Carmichael discusses the history behind his famous Black Power speech of 1966. Mr. Carmichael says it was essentially a tactic to drive Martin Luther King Jr. closer to the political left of the civil rights movement.
Soul! EP # 319 (517) "Wherever We May Be"
Ellis Haizlip continues to interview Stokely Carmichael. Mr. Carmichael says Dr. Kwame Nkrumah is a great, great man, praises his work & teachings. Ellis Haizlip, smoking a cigarette, asks if Stokely Carmichael had Pan-African intentions while working with SNCC during the "Black Power" years; Mr. Carmichael says he was never removed from Pan-African concerns & issues.
Soul! EP # 319 (517) "Wherever We May Be"
Ellis Haizlip continues to interview Stokely Carmichael. Mr. Carmichael says at different times he was greatly influenced by the political teachings & works of Malcolm X and black socialist Bayard Rustin. Mr. Carmichael says SNCC was the first civil rights organization to protest against the Vietnam War & the formation of the state of Israel. Mr. Carmichael says the African culture in Cuba is vibrantly alive & active. "Life is exciting. Black people get discouraged b/c we don't understand our history. We're moving so fast that it seems we're standing still."
Soul! EP # 319 (517) "Wherever We May Be"
Ellis Haizlip continues to interview Stokely Carmichael. Mr. Carmichael says black revolution takes many georgraphic forms, but the movement is universal. Mr. Carmichael says the American media tried desperately to crush SNCC & the idea of Black Power upon its "inception" in 1966, but ultimately coopted the concept b/c the movement was too strong. "The masses want to buy Black but they're being sold Negro."
Soul! EP # 319 (517) "Wherever We May Be"
Ellis Haizlip continues to interview Stokely Carmichael. Mr. Carmichael says the black struggle is the same everywhere, whether it be in Trinidad, Guinea or Harlem. "We must see it as a total picture knowing that wherever we contribute to the beneift of our people we are contributing to our overall struggle." Mr. Carmichael says Christianity & Islam are alien to African culture & have been used to subjugate & victimize native Africans. Mr. Carmichael believes in the power of the individual, not in religious myths. Ellis Haizlip takes a moment to speak to the viewing audience, asking them to write to "Soul!" Address appears on screen.
Soul! EP # 319 (517) "Wherever We May Be"
Ellis Haizlip continues to interview Stokely Carmichael. Mr. Carmichael discusses the purpose & efforts of the All-African People's Revolutionary Party. "We're not going to win the struggle today. We're not going to win it tomorrow. This is a struggle. This is a long struggle. We're fighting a struggle that has been taking place for 500 years. We're just a small part of that struggle."
Soul! EP # 319 (517) "Wherever We May Be"
Ellis Haizlip continues to interview Stokely Carmichael. Mr. Haizlip notes Mr. Carmichael's optimism, feels that West Africa has played an influence in that philospohical change; Mr. Carmichael agrees, discusses the influence of Prime Minister of Guinea Sekou Toure & Guinean officals. Mr. Carmichael says everyone in Guinea is armed, that the government dispenses guns & firearm training to its people; he notes romantically that there has been no incident of armed robbery in Guinea. Mr. Carmichael says many black people from around the world have descended upon Africa to help the revolution.
Soul! EP # 319 (517) "Wherever We May Be"
Ellis Haizlip continues to interview Stokely Carmichael. Mr. Camichael says the official language of Guinea is French, though there are several native languages. "Without being able to speak, I was forced to communicate." Mr. Carmichael discusses breaking the numerous language barriers while working in Guinea. Ellis Haizlip compliments the work of Miriam Makeba, Mr. Carmichael's wife. Mr. Carmichael: "Your history, if interpreted to you correctly, is your motivating force." Mr. Carmichael encourages black students to stay in school not for themselves but for the race. "Your history don't begin 400 years ago. Your history begins millions of years ago. While the white boys were in the caves your fathers were building pyramids. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is falling, The Eiffel Tower is falling. The pyramids are standing strong. You built them, brother."
Soul! EP # 319 (517) "Wherever We May Be"
Ellis Haizlip continues to interview Stokely Carmichael. Mr. Carmichael says nothing can stop the black movement, even though the American government has incited in-fighting & fractures among certain groups (not mentioning any by name but we know he's referring to the Black Panthers). "We must come together. We must form united fronts all over this country so that when he hits one he's got to hit them all." Ellis Haizlip says the "Soul!' is coming to a close; Stokely Carmichael says that if the black community were organized, "Soul!" would remain on the air. Mr. Haizlip thanks Lynn Brown, H. Rap Brown, & Mae Jackson; Mr. Carmichael agrees. Mr. Hailzip bows head, ending show.