Dr. Alwin Spence
The title of this article is a line borrowed from the Hon. Clifford Lincoln, who was a Cabinet Minister in the Quebec Legislative Assembly. It is a line of passion, feelings, truth, and honesty, and I thank Mr. Lincoln for making this statement popular in Quebec and Canada. As we are nearing the end of February, Black History month, I must thank and congratulate all those who were involved in the planning and execution of the many and different relevant activities, to awake the general public to the long way toward Black Freedom in the New World, and that white supremacy is not dead, that prejudice and discrimination are daily actions affecting Black people, even though they have acquired their Civil Rights. So, my focus today is not the acquisition of these Rights but the maintenance of them, and the task of confronting those who would do everything to remove these Rights, to change them, to ignore them, so it will then again be possible to enslave these subhuman people. Slaves were without rights.
But what are Rights? Mr. Lincoln said it all, that there is no such thing as Outside Rights or Inside Rights. We must accept it, that “Rights are Rights are Rights. ” To bring it closer, Rights are the fundamental, normative rules about what is allowed. For convenience’s sake, we can divide Rights into two main groups. (1) Human Rights: It is said that everyone is born with the Rights to a life of equality, dignity and respect. It is a way of meeting our responsibilities to each other. These Rights are acquired by just being alive. Nevertheless, even in death dignity is demonstrated. To name a few Human Rights would be, the Right to life, the right to education,
protection from torture, freedom of expression, and the right to a fair trial.
The second class of Rights is called Civil Rights. These are Rights that are obtained by being a legal member of a certain political state. Several groups have Rights under this banner. Some of them are, Black Civil Rights, Women Civil Rights, Civil Rights for the disabled, for the Indigenous People, for immigrants and refugees and for the LGBTQ. Group. By just mere reflection one can understand the extent to which these Rights are constantly violated. There is obvious overlapping between Human and Civil Rights.
In the United States, Black Civil Rights include Protection from discrimination, the right to free speech, a fair trial, equal protection, and the right to vote. Let us face it, Black Civil Rights are being trampled on every day. The courts are not fair. Too many Black people are arrested, tried, and given long sentences for minor misdemeanours. The jails are overwhelmed with young Black males and Blacks are denied quality education and are seen as second-class citizens. Their Rights are constantly being challenged and ignored and often they are still treated like slaves, without any Rights.
CIVIL RIGHTS AND LEADRSHIP
The hard-won advancement of the Civil Rights movement was made possible by the struggle, commitment and hard work of people who stood up to discrimination and white supremacy. We look to these heroes from our past for lessons and inspiration as we continue their important work into the future. As Black people we are not all committed to the Civil Rights movement, because to defend Civil Rights there must be a level of consciousness, what Bob Marley calls the emancipation of the mind, mental freedom. One needs this to know for what one is fighting. Also, those who are mentally free are not only fighting for themselves but are risking their lives for the betterment of mankind. The list of Civil Rights workers is very long, but I will mention just a few, Thurgood Marshall, Roy Wilkins, Rosa Parks, James Weldon Johnson, Julian Bond, Charles Hamilton Houston, Medgar Evers, Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr., and I dare include Malcolm X on my list. Their methods may differ, but the goal is the same. The Civil Rights movement started in the church and even though it was opposed by some of the very people it represented it, as a movement soldiered on to become a respectable and forceful agent of change.
The Civil Rights leaders and workers for the most part followed the non-violent route, a belief which seem to say, ‘turn the other cheek ‘, there will be no, physical fighting back. It worked but it was costly. On the other side the only method that will get some positive result
is the one that uses the theme ‘ an eye for an eye ‘, the will is to fight fire with fire. Both had their place in the quest for freedom.
This Black History month, I made it a duty to read some of the powerful quotes by some of the leaders. For this issue I will dwell on some quotes by three men, Medgar, Martin, and Malcolm, (3 m’s ) three of them assassinated at an early age.
Madgar:
1. ” You can kill a man, but you can’t kill an idea “.
2. ” Freedom has never been free “.
3.” As long as God gives me strength to work and try to make things real for my children, I am going to work for it- even if it means the ultimate sacrifice.”
4. ” I was born in Decatur,
was raised there, but I never in my life was permitted to vote there”.
Martin:
1. ” Forgiveness is not an occasional act. It is a permanent attitude “.
2. ” We must learn to live together as brothers or die together as fools “.
3. ” True peace is not merely the absence of tension, it is the presence of justice.”
4.” We have come a long, long way, but we have a long, long way to go.”
5. ” Nonviolence is not sterile passivity but a powerful moral force “.
Malcolm:
1. ” Any time you beg another to set you free, you will never be free. Freedom is something you have to do for yourselves “.
2. ” Without education you are not going anywhere in this world”.
3. ” I have no mercy or compassion in me for a society that will crush people and then penalize them for not being able to stand up under the weight. “.
4. “It is a time of martyrs now, and if I am to be one, it will be for the cause of brotherhood. That’s the only thing that can save this country.”
There are hundreds of these profound quotes, read them as they will help you to understand and appreciate that ‘ All lives matter, and Black lives matter’. These educated quotes, these thought provoking statements, these spoken truths and their positive effect on all confirm what another quote says, ‘ that the pen is mightier than the sword ‘.
