The story of the African-American people is the story of the settlement and growth of America itself, a universal tale that all people should experience. — Henry Louis Gates
African rights and liberty is a subject that ought to fire the breast of every free man of color in these United States, and excite in his bosom a lively, deep, decided and heart-felt interest. — Maria W. Stewart
We are not only a Latin American nation, we are an Afro-American nation also. — Fidel Castro
The Negro is an exotic of the most gorgeous and superb countries of the world, and he has deep in his heart a passion for all that is splendid, rich and fanciful. — Harriet Beecher Stowe
All people of African descent, whether they live in North or South America, the Caribbean, or in any part of the world are Africans and belong to the African nation. — Kwame Nkrumah
I am America. I am the part you won't recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me. — Muhammad Ali
What is Africa to me: Copper sun or scarlet sea, Jungle star or jungle track, Strong bronzed men, or regal black Women from whose loins I sprang When the birds of Eden sang? — Countee Cullen
America's greatest crime against the black man was not slavery or lynching, but that he was taught to wear a mask of self-hate and self-doubt. — Malcolm X
The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman. — Malcolm X
I would rather be a member of this [Afrikan] race than a Greek in the time of Alexander, a Roman in the Augustan period, or Anglo-Saxon in the nineteenth century. — Edward Wilmot Blyden
I like them brown, yellow, Puerto Rican, or Haitian
Name is Phife Dawg from the Zulu nation. — Phife Dawg
Black women have always been these vixens, these animalistic erotic women. Why can't we just be the sexy American girl next door? — Tyra Banks
Given that Africa is where humans originated. We are all African. — Tim Marshall
Obama a ‘light-skinned’ African-American ‘with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one. — Harry Reid
I don't want a Black History Month. Black history is American history. — Morgan Freeman
Short African American Quotes
Our noses are broad, our lips are thick, our hair is nappy-we are black and beautiful! — Stokely Carmichael
I am the attorney general of the United States. But I am also a black man. — Eric Holder
Where is the raised voice of black America? Why are we mute? — Harry Belafonte
The Black skin is not a badge of shame, but rather a glorious symbol of national greatness. — Marcus Garvey
Top 10 African American Quotes
I have written a song that says: If you ever lose someone dear to you, never say the words, "They're gone," and they'll come back. — Prince
If you can be the best, then why not try to be the best? — Garrett Morgan
Fighting is a sport; if you're not humble it's going to bring humbleness to you. — Mike Tyson
It doesn't matter how strong your opinions are. If you don't use your power for positive change, you are, indeed, part of the problem. — Coretta Scott King
Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else. — Maya Angelou
Revolution is a serious thing, the most serious thing about a revolutionarys life. When one commits oneself to the struggle, it must be for a lifetime. — Angela Davis
If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. — Malcolm X
Deal with yourself as a individual, worthy of respect and make everyone else deal with you the same way. — Nikki Giovanni
Don't be in a hurry to condemn because he doesn't do what you do or think as you think or as fast. There was a time when you didn't know what you know today. — Malcolm X
I feel safe even in the midst of my enemies; for the truth is powerful and will prevail. — Sojourner Truth
Defiance, not obedience, is the American's answer to overbearing authority.
Positive African American Quotes
Don't let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It's your place in the world; it's your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live. — Mae Jemison
I'm convinced that we Black women possess a special indestructible strength that allows us to not only get down, but to get up, to get through, and to get over. — Janet Jackson
I am learning every day to allow the space between where I am and where I want to be to inspire me and not terrify me. — Tracee Ellis Ross
What if the American people woke up and understood that the official reasons for going to war are almost always based on lies and promoted by war propaganda in order to serve special interests.
Life is a daily cleansing. Negativity must be washed away, if you wish to attract positive experiences to your life. — Leon Brown
I do think that it's a responsibility when there are so few of us as African Americans to kind of get to that place of success in a positive light. We should take a stance and stand for something and use that platform for positivity. — Misty Copeland
Coming up in the African-American culture, we were taught that we belonged to the universe and society was wrong in the way it dealt with us. We had to learn to express and affirm values not from the winning position. — Bernice Johnson Reagon
Find something good within your life and give every ounce of positivity you have towards it, then watch how your life changes. — Leon Brown
African American Women Quotes
Never be limited by other people's limited imaginations. — Mae Jemison
I believe unconditionally in the ability of people to respond when they are told the truth. We need to be taught to study rather than believe, to inquire rather than to affirm. — Septima Poinsette Clark
Don't settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had. We need to live the best that's in us. — Angela Bassett
In the dark times, if you have something to hold on to, which is yourself, you'll survive. — Whoopi Goldberg
You are on the eve of a complete victory. You can't go wrong. The world is behind you. — Josephine Baker
My father was a slave and my people died to build this country and I am going to stay here and have a part of it just like you. — Paul Robeson
I've always believed that I could do whatever I set my mind to do. — Alice Coachman
What they call you is one thing. What you answer to is something else. — Lucille Clifton
The potential for greatness lives within us all. — Wilma Rudolph
There's a category for me. I like to be referred to as a good singer of good songs in good taste. — Sarah Vaughan
African American History Quotes
We have a wonderful history behind us. ... If you are unable to demonstrate to the world that you have this record, the world will say to you, 'You are not worthy to enjoy the blessings of democracy or anything else'. — Carter G. Woodson
Defining myself, as opposed to being defined by others, is one of the most difficult challenges I face. — Carol Moseley Braun
At no time within the last five-hundred years can one point to a single instance of the Negro as a race of haters. — Marcus Garvey
I am the dream and the hope of the slave — Maya Angelou
I had no idea that history was being made. I was just tired of giving up. — Rosa Parks
Whereas our ancestors (not of choice) were the first successful cultivators of the wilds of America, we their descendants feel ourselves entitled to participate in the blessings of her luxuriant soil. — Richard Allen
Whatever we believe about ourselves and our ability comes true for us. — Susan L. Taylor
I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. — Harriet Tubman
African American Love Quotes
A moment of anger can destroy a lifetime of work, whereas a moment of love can break barriers that took a lifetime to build. — Leon Brown
It doesn't matter what you all think, what you all say about me, because when I go home at night, the same people that I look in the face, my family that I love, that's all that really matters to me. — Marshawn Lynch
Great men cultivate love...only little men cherish a spirit of hatred — Booker T. Washington
Listen to yourself, not the noise of the world. Only you know what is right for you. — Leon Brown
Look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
Embrace struggle... It is your greatest teacher. — Russell Simmons
Don't ever think I fell for you, or fell over you. I didn't fall in love, I rose in it. — Toni Morrison
Sometimes we have to lose our way to find out what we really want, for we often ignore our needs until we are lost. — Leon Brown
You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man. — Frederick Douglass
African American History Month Quotes
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise. I rise. I rise. — Maya Angelou
Black people have always been America's wilderness in search of a promised land. — Cornel West
Racism is not an excuse to not do the best you can. — Arthur Ashe
American means white, and Africanist people struggle to make the term applicable to themselves with ethnicity and hyphen after hyphen after hyphen. — Toni Morrison
I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all. — Zora Neale Hurston
I refuse to accept the view . . . that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
It is my hope that as we commemorate Black History Month in the future, we will continue to celebrate the many achievements and rich culture of African-Americans. — Eliot Engel
African American Music Quotes
I have this ability to find this hidden talent in people that sometimes even they didn't know they had. — Berry Gordy
Regardless of what you play, the biggest thing is keeping the feel going. — Wes Montgomery
My own personal theory is that all popular music, in whatever form it is, to me, it all comes from Africa. Whether it's filtered through America or whatever - African-American. But I still think there's something in that roots music that's very, very African, and I think that's what unites people. — Paul Weller
Ray Charles' revolutionary approach to music was also reflected in his politics and his deep and abiding commitment to Martin Luther King and the plight of African-Americans. Ray Charles may not have been on the front lines, but he put his money where his mouth was. — Diane Watson
Seriously though, my father was the first African American to sign a contract with the Metropolitan Opera so I grew up with classical music and jazz in the home all the time. — Bobby McFerrin
Miles Davis was doing something inherently African, something that has to do with all forms of American music, not just jazz. — Cassandra Wilson
African American Culture Quotes
Violence is black children going to school for 12 years and receiving 6 years' worth of education. — Julian Bond
You should always respect what you are and your culture because if your art is going to mean anything, that is where it comes from. — Romare Bearden
To reaffirm the statement on the choosing of my identity, I come from two beautiful cultures which I have embraced, bridged, balanced, and identify with. I am proud to be who I am as a Dine' (Navajo) and Nahilii (African American) woman. Hozho', , & blessings — Radmilla Cody
The Afro-American experience is the only real culture that America has. Basically, every American tries to walk, talk, dress and behave like African Americans. — Hugh Masekela
The African-American community still needs to come together as one and stand up for rights of the people and of what's happening in their culture, their community. — Ziggy Marley
The treatment of African and African American culture in our education was no different from their treatment in Tarzan movies. — Ishmael Reed
People ask me if I miss the States. I miss African Americans. But not the U.S. government or all the things they put me through. I miss African American culture, our speech, dance and cooking. — Assata Shakur
Jamestown changed the world in many ways, but perhaps it shaped our nation most profoundly the day Africans arrived. I can't think of a more relevant place to talk about the issues facing our community today than the place where African culture became American culture. — Tavis Smiley
From blood banking to the modern subway, from jazz to social justice, the contributions of African Americans have shaped and molded and influenced our national culture and our national character. — Bill Frist
African American Civil Rights Quotes
We all too often have socialism for the rich and rugged free market capitalism for the poor. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
One in three young African American men is currently under the control of the criminal justice system in prison, in jail, on probation, or on parole - yet mass incarceration tends to be categorized as a criminal justice issue as opposed to a racial justice or civil rights issue (or crisis). — Michelle Alexander
I see America through the eyes of the victim. I don’t see any American dream; I see an American nightmare. — Malcolm X
Maya Angelou, the famous African American poet, historian, and civil rights activist who is hailed be many as one of the great voices of contemporary literature, believes a struggle only makes a person stronger. — Michael N. Castle
The Klan had used fear, intimidation and murder to brutally oppress over African-Americans who sought justice and equality and it sought to respond to the young workers of the civil rights movement in Mississippi in the same way. — Charles Rangel
And when the time is right, I hope that African Americans will again look to the party of emancipation, civil liberty, and individual freedom. — Rand Paul
There's good reason to be excited. You have the first woman running who is qualified, and a very attractive African-American who has demonstrated crossover appeal. I got involved in politics 40 years ago during the civil rights movement, so yes, it's an exciting thing. — Joe Biden
I deeply understand the history of civil rights and the horrendous impact that relentless and systemic discrimination and the denial of voting rights has had on our African-American brothers and sisters. I have witnessed it. — Jeff Sessions
We must protect the civil rights of American citizens - African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, and all Americans - by ensuring that their jobs, wages, and well-being come first. — Donald Trump
Everything African-Americans - every freedom they have obtained - came from Republicans, not Democrats. All the way back to the Emancipation Proclamation, to the Civil Rights movement. Civil Rights legislation was passed by a Republican Congress. — Rafael Cruz
African Race Quotes
It's time we become comfortable with the uncomfortable conversations about race...Instead of being color blind, we need to be color brave. — Mellody Hobson
No white American ever thinks that any other race is wholly civilized until he wears the white man’s clothes, eats the white man’s food, speaks the white man’s language, and professes the white man’s religion. — Booker T. Washington
I am of the African race, and in the colour which is natural to them of the deepest dye; and it is under a sense of the most profound gratitude to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe. — Benjamin Banneker
The hearts of Afro-American women are too warm and too large for race hatred. Long suffering has so chastened them that they are developing a special sense of sympathy for all who suffer and fail of justice. — Fannie Barrier Williams
The history of a movement, the history of a nation, the history of a race is the guide-post of that movement's destiny, that nation's destiny, that race's destiny. — Marcus Garvey
Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so. — Brigham Young
People of color, particularly African Americans, feel the stigma more keenly. In a race-conscious society, some don't want to be perceived as having yet another deficit. — Bebe Moore Campbell
Crime is fast destroying the moral fabric of South African cities, and is becoming a major threat to South African democracy as well as the prominent manifestation of a "class war" that is largely a continuation of the "race war" of yesterday. — Achille Mbembe
I saw all races, all colors, blue eyed blonds to black skinned Africans in true brotherhood! In unity! Living as one! Worshiping as one! No segregationists, no liberals; they would not have known how to interpret the meaning of those words — Malcolm X
People think if you describe someone with glistening brown skin you're writing about race, as if the whole of the African diaspora is in someone's brown skin. — Jamaica Kincaid
African Quotes
History teaches us that unity is strength, and cautions us to submerge and overcome our differences in the quest for common goals, to strive, with all our combined strength, for the path to true African brotherhood and unity. — Haile Selassie
It is clear that we must find an African solution to our problems, and that this can only be found in African unity. Divided we are weak; united, Africa could become one of the greatest forces for good in the world. — Kwame Nkrumah
I am an African. I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing seasons that define the face of our native land. — Thabo Mbeki
What we need in South Africa is for egos to be suppressed in favour of peace. We need to create a new breed of South Africans who love their country and love everybody, irrespective of their colour. — Chris Hani
We must learn to live the African way. It's the only way to live in freedom and with dignity — Thomas Sankara
The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked-up with the total liberation of the African Continent — Kwame Nkrumah
In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe. — Michael Jackson
That is my best friend because it is a gift of the creator to Africans. It is a spirit. Marijuana has five fingers of creation...it enhances all your five senses. — Fela Kuti
The philosophy of Africanism holds out the hope of a genuine democracy beyond the stormy sea of struggle — Robert Sobukwe
When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear. — Thomas Sowell
The possible has been tried and failed. Now it's time to try the impossible. — Sun Ra
Believe me, the reward is not so great without the struggle. — Wilma Rudolph
Remember who you are and whose you are. — Thea Bowman
I have great belief in the fact that whenever there is chaos, it creates wonderful thinking. I consider chaos a gift. — Septima Poinsette Clark
When people tell me nothing has changed, I say come walk in my shoes and I will show you change. — John Lewis
I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs. I knew at that point I had to have a camera. — Gordon Parks
It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared. — Whitney M. Young
It is extremely rough to follow through with my goals, but I felt a responsibility to show the world what the African Americans are facing through this rough patch. — Ida B. Wells
Unhappiness does not come from the way things are, but from the difference between how things are and how we think they should be — Creflo A. Dollar
We, as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves. — Barbara Jordan
Never mind what haters say, ignore them 'til they fade away. — T.I.
The Lord was pleased to strengthen us, and remove all fear from us, and disposed our hearts to be as useful as possible. — Richard Allen
Do not bring people in your life who weigh you down. And trust your instincts ... good relationships feel good. They feel right. They don't hurt. They're not painful. That's not just with somebody you want to marry, but it's with the friends that you choose. It's with the people you surround yourselves with. — Michelle Obama
I'll tell you how I'd like to be remembered: As a black man who won the heavyweight title - Who has humorous and who never looked down on those who looked up to him - A man who stood for freedom, justice and equality - And I wouldn't even mind if folks forgot how pretty I was. — Muhammad Ali
The truth is... everything counts. Everything. Everything we do and everything we say. Everything helps or hurts; everything adds to or takes away from someone else. — Countee Cullen
No one will really understand politics until they understand that politicians are not trying to solve our problems. They are trying to solve their own problems - of which getting elected and re-elected are number one and number two. Whatever is number three is far behind. — Thomas Sowell
In order for us as poor and oppressed people to become part of a society that is meaningful, the system under which we now exist has to be radically changed... It means facing a system that does not lend its self to your needs and devising means by which you change that system. — Ella Baker
A man is a man, until that man finds a plan, a plan that makes that man, a new man — Dred Scott
In Conclusion
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