Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
>>MY NAME IS DR. MAULANA KARENGA.
I AM PROFESSOR OF AFRICAN STUDIES AT CALIFORNIA STATE
UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH. I AM ALSO THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE CENTER AT
WHICH WE ARE NOW. >> COULD YOU TELL US A LITTLE
BIT ABOUT WHO YOU ARE, WHAT YOUR HISTORY IS, WHAT THE EVOLUTION
OF YOUR IDEAS AND THOUGHTS ARE. >>WELL, I WAS BORN IN MARYLAND,
ON THE EASTERN SHORE. AND THAT WAS ALWAYS A POINT OF
IMPORTANCE TO MY TEACHERS, MY MOTHER AND FATHER, IN TEACHING
ME THE HISTORY THAT I HAD TO, IN FACT, HONOR AND RESPECT.
THAT'S THE SAME PLACE THE ORIGIN OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS
AND HARRY TUBMAN. SO THERE IS A HISTORY OF
STRUGGLE AND RESISTANCE THERE, AND DOING THINGS THAT ARE
CONSCIOUS OF COMMUNITY. SO I WAS BORN IN THE FAMILY OF 14.
I AM THE 14TH CHILD AND THE SEVENTH SON.
THAT, TOO, TOOK ON A SIGNIFICANCE FOR MY MOTHER AND
FATHER AND THE ELDERS THAT WERE AROUND ME WHO EXPECTED ME TO DO
THINGS OF IMPORTANCE FOR WHAT THEY CALL THE RACE.
THEY WERE RACE CONSCIOUS, AND THEY BELIEVED YOU HAD TO ACT IN
A CERTAIN WAY, THAT YOU WOULD BRING HONOR TO THE RACE AND YOU
HAD TO ADVANCE THE CAUSE OF AFRICAN PEOPLE.
WE SAY BLACK PEOPLE THEN. SAY AFRICAN PEOPLE NOW.
I GREW UP IN PARSONBURG, SALISBURY, MARYLAND, THAT'S WHERE I WENT
TO SCHOOL FOR MOST OF MY EDUCATION. HOWEVER, IN THE
LAST YEAR OF MY -- IN JUNIOR HIGH, I CAME OUT TO LOS ANGELES
AND WENT TO JAMES FOSHAY SCHOOL.
AND I WENT BACK TO MARYLAND, AND I CAME BACK TO CALIFORNIA BY WAY
OF YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, WHERE I FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL.
I FINISHED AT AN EARLY AGE BECAUSE I WAS ADVANCED.
I STARTED SCHOOL WHEN I WAS FIVE.
SO I FINISHED AT 16, HIGH SCHOOL, AND I BEGAN TO WORK MY
WAY BACK TO CALIFORNIA BECAUSE I WANTED TO GO TO U.C.L.A.
WHEN I GOT OUT HERE, I WENT TO LOS ANGELES CITY COLLEGE
BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE RESIDENCE ESTABLISHED.
SO THERE YOU CAN GO FOR SEVEN, ABOUT SEVEN OR $12 IF YOU WANTED
INSURANCE. IF YOU DIDN'T, IT WAS EVEN LESS
EXPENSIVE. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL TIME AND A
BEAUTIFUL PLACE BECAUSE IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
INTELLECTUAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE COUNTRY OF THE DAY, AND ALL
KINDS OF PROFESSORS WERE THERE FROM RADICAL TO RIGHT WING.
WE WERE VERY MUCH INVOLVED IN LEARNING AND ACTIVISM.
I BEGAN TO BECOME VERY ACTIVE. I PARTICIPATED IN, OF COURSE,
THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT WHEN IT WAS THERE, THE ANTI DEATH
PENALTY MOVEMENT, OR ANTI-CAPITAL PUNISHMENT WE CALLED IT.
THEN I PARTICIPATED IN THE PEACE MOVEMENT AND I BEGAN TO
GET ACTIVE IN CAMPUS POLITICS. I BECAME THE FIRST BLACK,
STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT AT LACC, OR LOS ANGELES CITY COLLEGE.
FROM THERE, I TRANSFERRED TO U.C.L.A. WHERE I GOT MY
MASTER'S, MY BA AND MY MASTER AND WORKING ON THE DOCTORATE WHEN
THE MOVEMENT CAME. I DROPPED OUT -- I SHOULDN'T
SAY DROPPED OUT, I LEFT SCHOOL AND DIDN'T RETURN UNTIL LATER
AFTER THE MOVEMENT TO FINISH MY DOCTORATE AND THE TO GET A
SECOND DOCTORATE. WHEN I GOT OUT OF SCHOOL, ONE OF
THE REASONS I LEFT SCHOOL BECAUSE THE MOVEMENT RAISED A
QUESTION THAT MARY McLEOD BETHUNE RAISED.
MARY MC LEOD BETHUNE WAS ONE OF OUR GREAT EDUCATORS SAID KNOWLEDGE
IS THE PRIME NEED OF THE HOUR BUT PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO ASK
YOU WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH YOUR KNOWLEDGE.
SHE SAID, WE, WHO ARE EDUCATED, MUST DISCOVER THE DAWN AND THEN
SHARE IT WITH THE MASSES AND OUR CHILDREN WHO NEED IT MOST.
SO THE WHOLE QUESTION WAS AFRICAN EPISTEMOLOGY SAID
KNOWLEDGE IS NEVER KNOWLEDGE FOR KNOWLEDGE SAKE ALONE.
KNOWLEDGE IS FOR HUMAN SAKE, AND WE HAVE TO ASK OURSELF HOW
DO WE USE IT, AND WE SAY TO IMPROVE THE PRESENT AND TO
ENHANCE THE FUTURE OF OUR PEOPLE AND HUMANKIND.
SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT TRANSPIRED IN MY
DEVELOPMENT. >>EXCELLENT.
DR. KARENGA, CAN YOU GIVE US SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON
THE MOVEMENT. MANY OF OUR YOUNG TEACHERS WILL
NOT HAVE A HISTORICAL CONTEXT FOR THIS TIME PERIOD.
COULD YOU HELP GIVE THEM SOMETHING OF THE ENERGY THAT
TOOK PLACE THEN AND HOW IT AFFECTED YOU.
>>THE MOVEMENT EVOLVED OUT OF THE CONSTANT STRUGGLE OF
AFRICAN PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY TO EXPAND THE REALM OF FREEDOM
AND TO COMPEL AMERICAN SOCIETY TO LIVE UP TO AND IN SOME CASES
EVEN GO BEYOND ITS ORIGINAL IDEA BECAUSE IF YOU TAKE
AMERICA FROM ITS ORIGINAL IDEA, THEY WERE VERY LIMITED.
THEY HAD SOME GOOD IN IT, YOU KNOW, BUT AT THE SAME TIME THEY
ENSLAVED THE PEOPLE COMMITTED HOLOCAUST AGAINST ANOTHER
PEOPLE, LIMITED WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN POLITICS.
OKAY, SO THAT WAS NOT THE KIND OF AMERICA WE WANTED.
WE WANTED OPEN SOCIETY, A FREE SOCIETY.
AND BLACK PEOPLE, BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF RACISM IN THIS
COUNTRY, PROVED TO BE THE KEY VANGUARD, THE KEY SOCIAL AND
MORAL VANGUARD IN TRANSFORMING THIS COUNTRY SO THE ORIGINAL
FOUNDERS COULD NOT EVEN RECOGNIZE, LET ALONE ACCEPT IT.
SO THE MOVEMENT EVOLVED FROM THE TIME WE HIT THE BEACH UNTIL
THE 60'S. IT DID A TAKE OFF IN 1954 AND '55
WITH THE SUPREME COURT DECISION WON BY THURGOOD MARSHAL AND THE
N.A.A.C.P. WHICH REAFFIRMED THE RIGHTNESS OF OUR STRUGGLE,
GAVE US A LEGAL FRAMEWORK WITH WHICH TO ARGUE OUR CASE MORE
EFFECTIVELY AND INSPIRE OTHER PEOPLE TO JOIN AND CREATE WHAT
WE CALL THE 60'S MOVEMENT WHICH IS THE DEFINITIVE MOVEMENT IN AFRICAN
AND AMERICAN HISTORY. NOW WHY I AM SAYING THIS, IS NOT
THAT I DISCREDIT ANYTHING OF THE THINGS THAT WENT BEFORE IT,
BUT IT KIND OF CULMINATED THIS IN THE 60'S TO PRODUCE A WHOLE
DIFFERENT KIND OF SOCIETY. IN FACT, IT BECAME A MODEL FOR
PEOPLES AROUND THE WORLD. IN '54, THEN WE WENT TO '55 WITH
MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE LEADERSHIP OF
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING. BUT AT THE SAME TIME THE
LEADERSHIP OF THE HONORABLE ELIJAH MUHAMMAD AND MALCOM X,
HIS STUDENT, BECAME CENTRAL TO FORMING TWO PHASES OF THE BLACK
FREEDOM MOVEMENT. THERE ARE TWO PHASES FROM 1955
TO '65 IS THE CIVIL RIGHTS PHASE.
USUALLY THAT'S THE ONLY WAY PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THE MOVEMENT.
BUT THEN FROM '65 TO '75 IS THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT.
I PARTICIPATED IN BOTH OF THEM. BUT I EVOLVED IN MY OWN IN THE
BLACK POWER PERIOD. WHAT THIS STRUGGLE DID WAS, OF
COURSE, FIRST, EXPANDED THE REALM OF FREEDOM, KNOCKING DOWN
SEGREGATION APARTHEID LAWS AND COMPELLING AMERICA TO
INTERROGATE ITSELF AND TO ASK ITSELF HOW COULD IT CLAIM TO BE
A FREE SOCIETY WITH THE KIND OF LAWS THAT IT HAD, THE KIND OF
SOCIAL PRACTICES THAT IT WAS ENGAGING IN.
WE KNOCKED DOWN BARRIERS THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THERE.
BUT IN THIS STRUGGLE, WE ACTUALLY PROVIDED A MODEL FOR,
NOT ONLY PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY, BUT AROUND THE WORLD.
IN FACT, PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY, FOR EXAMPLE, OTHER
PEOPLE OF COLOR, NATIVE AMERICANS, LATINOS, ASIANS, AS
WELL AS WOMEN, DISABLED, SENIOR CITIZENS, PEOPLE, BORROWED OUR
MORAL VOCABULARY AND MORAL VISION AND POSED OUR STRUGGLE
AS A MODEL TO EMULATE. EVEN ON THE INTERNATIONAL
LEVEL, IN AFRICA, ASIA, AND DEMOCRATIC WALL, THEY SANG OUR
SONGS, THEY POSE OUR STRUGGLE AS A MODEL, IN PALESTINE, IN
EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES STRUGGLING FOR DEMOCRACY AND
LIBERATION. THEY BORROWED, I REPEAT, THEY
BORROWED OUR MORAL VOCABULARY AND OUR MORAL VISION AND ADDED
THEIR OWN TO IT BECAUSE EVERYBODY IS UNIQUE. BUT THEY
CONSTANTLY REFER TO THIS AS A MODEL OF HUMAN LIBERATION WE
SHOULD ALL EMULATE. WE HAD A PROFOUND IMPACT, NOT
ONLY ON THE WAY U.S. UNDERSTOOD ITSELF AND CONDUCTED ITS
BUSINESS, BUT ALSO ON THE LIBERATION MOVEMENTS AROUND
THE WORLD, AND IN TURN, WE WERE, AS MALCOLM TAUGHT US, WE WERE
ALSO AFFECTED BY THE STRUGGLES IN AFRICA AND ASIA THAT BECAME
MODELS FOR US ESPECIALLY DURING THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT.
>>RECENTLY, I WATCHED A FILM BY HENRY LEWIS GATES OF HARVARD
UNIVERSITY IN WHICH THERE WAS FOOTAGE OF YOU SPEAKING TO A
COLLEGE AUDIENCE IN THE 60'S. IT WAS VERY POWERFUL FOOTAGE.
I AM WONDERING WHAT HAS CHANGED IN YOUR PHILOSOPHY FROM THAT
TIME PERIOD TO NOW IN THE 21ST CENTURY WHEN YOU ADDRESS THESE
ISSUES OF MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION.
>>I AM APPRECIATING WHAT YOU SAID IF I AM UNDERSTANDING
CORRECTLY. I AM STILL A CULTURAL
NATIONALIST. I BELIEVE CULTURE DEFINES AND
GIVES LIFE AND MOTION TO HUMAN BEING.
BY CULTURAL, I MEAN THE TOTALITY OF THOUGHT AND
PRACTICE BY WHICH A PEOPLE CREATES ITSELF, CELEBRATES,
SUSTAINS AND DEVELOPS ITSELF AND INTRODUCES ITSELF TO
HISTORY AND HUMANITY, AND THAT IT CARES ON AT LEAST SEVEN BASIC
LEVELS. RELIGION, OR SPIRITUALITY AND
ETHICS, HISTORY, SOCIAL ORGANIZATION, ECONOMIC
ORGANIZATION, POLITICAL ORGANIZATION, CREATIVE
PRODUCTION, WHICH IS YOUR ART, MUSIC, LITERATURE, AND
ETHOS, COLLECTIVE PSYCHOLOGY THAT PEOPLE ACHIEVES AS A
RESULT OF PRACTICE IN THOSE OTHER AREAS.
SO I STILL HOLD TO THAT, AND I BELIEVE THAT THE STRUGGLE WE
ARE WAGING FOR FREEDOM JUSTICE, FOR SELF-DETERMINATION BEGINS
AS A CULTURE STRUGGLE, AND IT LAYS THE BASIS FOR US,
RETURNING TO OUR OWN HISTORY AS CABRAL SAID.
YOU SEE I STRUGGLE, RETURN TO OUR HISTORY. DURING THE
HOLOCAUST OF ENSLAVEMENT, WE ARE LIFTED OUT OF OUR OWN
HISTORY, MADE A FOOTNOTE AND FORGOTTEN CASUALTY
IN OTHER PEOPLE'S HISTORY AND CULTURE.
SO OUR STRUGGLE HAS BEEN TO RETURN TO THAT.
MY LIFE'S WORK HAS BEEN BY MY NAME, KARENGA, WHICH MEANS KEEPER OF
THE TRADITION IS TO RECOVER, GO BACK, SANKOFA IS THE WORD WE USE
NOW, TO GO BACK, RETRIEVE AND RECONSTRUCT THE BEST OF WHAT IT
MEANS TO BE AFRICAN AND HUMAN AND USE THAT TO NOT ONLY
UNDERSTAND OURSELVES IN THE WORLD, BUT TO ASSERT OURSELVES
IN THE WORLD IN THE MOST ETHICAL AND MEANINGFUL WAY.
SO THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT THING FOR ME.
AND THAT WAS ALWAYS THE CORE VALUE IN THAT.
I CONCENTRATED MAINLY ON BLACK POWER DURING THE BLACK POWER
ERA BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE NEED.
WE STILL NEED THAT BECAUSE THE MOVEMENT DEMANDED THAT, AND
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO STRUGGLE AGAINST VICIOUS
RACISM. I MEAN YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE ERA
OF LYNCHING. THIS IS THE ERA OF MASSIVE
POLICE OPPRESSION, FBI, COINTEL PROGRAM, WE ALL BECAME
VICTIMS OF THAT. SO YOU SEE, WE HAD TO TAKE A HARD
LINE. I DON'T REGRET THE LINE. I DON'T REGRET TAKING THAT
LINE, REAFFIRMING BLACK PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO EXIST AS A
PEOPLE. PEOPLE USED TO TELL US, WHY
DON'T YOU GO OUT OF EXISTENCE. EVEN NOW PEOPLE SAY THAT.
WHY WE NEED BLACK NOW. WE HAVE A BLACK PRESIDENT.
WELL, ACTUALLY, THAT'S A CONTRADICTION.
IF BLACK SUPPOSED TO GO OUT, DON'T EVEN MENTION THE BLACK
PRESIDENT. HE IS JUST THERE.
THE REALITY IS THAT WE KNOW AND EVERYBODY ELSE KNOW THAT IT IS
GENOCIDE TO PROPOSE AND TRY TO CULTIVATE THE NON-EXISTENCE OF
A PEOPLE, AND, YET, PEOPLE DO IT SO CAVALIERLY WHEN THEY TALK TO
BLACK PEOPLE. NO ONE WOULD EVEN DARE, EVEN
CONSIDER, LET ALONE SPEAK THE NON-EXISTENCE OF JEWISH
PEOPLE. BUT NOBODY SAID YOU HAVE BEEN
HERE LONG ENOUGH. LOSE YOUR ACCENT, ALL OF THOSE THINGS YOU
BE DOING, AND JUST GO AND BE REGULAR AMERICAN.
ACTUALLY, THAT'S WHAT MAKES AMERICA IS THE MULTIPLICITY OF
CULTURES THAT COMPOSE AMERICA WITHOUT THE MULTIPLICITY OF
CULTURE, THERE IS NO AMERICA. THAT'S SOMETHING PEOPLE TALK
ABOUT AS AN ACADEMIC REFERENCE, TO GIVE CONCRETENESS TO IT.
CONCRETE OF ACTUAL PEOPLE LIVING THEIR LIVES, FINDING
MEANING IN THE MIDST OF THE MOST CHAOTIC SITUATION AND MOST
OPPRESSIVE SITUATION AND RAISES IMAGES ABOVE THE EARTH
THAT REFLECT THEIR CAPACITY FOR HUMAN GREATNESS AND VISION.
THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ABOUT. NOW, WHAT HAPPENS IS THIS, AS I
DEVELOP, YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO DO SELF-INTERROGATION, YOU KNOW.
WHEN WE DID IT AT FIRST, WE STRESSED BLACKNESS IN THE THIRD
WORLD. WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE
IN THE WORLD. ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS,
AND I REALLY HAVE TO CREDIT MALCOLM X FOR THIS.
BECAUSE I AM A STUDENT OF HIM. HE IS ONE OF MY MAJOR
INFLUENCES, IF YOU LOOK AT MY HISTORY.
ONE OF THE THINGS I NOTICED IS THAT MALCOLM X FOLLOWING THE
TEACHINGS OF HONORABLE ELIJAH MUHAMMAD TAUGHT THAT PEOPLE OF
COLOR WERE A SPECIAL PEOPLE, AND THAT THEY DESERVED A
SPECIAL RESPECT. BUT THEY CRITICIZE WHITE
PEOPLE. AND THAT'S HOW THEY WOULD
JUDGE. NOW, HERE THEY ARE SUPPORTING
THE RIGHTS OF THE OPPRESSED SEVEN-EIGHTHS OF THE WORLD, BUT
BECAUSE THEY WOULDN'T GIVE WHAT PEOPLE CONSIDER DUE RESPECT TO
WHITE PEOPLE, ONE-EIGHTH THE WORLD, THEY ARE CONSIDERED
HATEMONGERS. THAT'S AMAZING. YOU CAN
CONSIDER TALK ABOUT MEXICANS AND KOREANS ALL DAY, AND SOMEBODY MIGHT
SAY, I KNOW SOME LIKE THAT. YOU SAY THAT ABOUT WHITE
PEOPLE. THEY SAY, OH, I WONDER WHY HE IS
RACIST. YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN? I THINK IT IS UNDERSTANDING THE
PRIVILEGE OF WHITENESS, AND THE TENDENCY TO BELIEVE IF YOU
DON'T INCLUDE WHITE PEOPLE IN YOUR CONVERSATION, AND DO IT IN
A RESPECTFUL AND DEFERENTIAL AND GRATEFUL WAY, THAT SOMEHOW
THERE IS SOMETHING AMISS, OKAY. I AM SAYING THAT-- I TELL MY
STUDENTS THIS ALL THE TIME. WHEN I AM MAKING THIS CRITIQUE
OF WHITE SOCIETY, I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU.
OBVIOUSLY, YOU DON'T HAVE ANY AFFECT ON ME. YOU KNOW WHAT I
MEAN? YOU CAN GIVE AN EVALUATION, BUT
THAT'S JUST YOU. BUT TO AFFECT MY LIFE, YOU DON'T
IDENTIFY WITH THE PEOPLE I AM TALKING ABOUT. I AM TALKING
ABOUT OPPRESSORS. SO WHEN I TEACH ETHNIC STUDIES AND THE I
TALK ABOUT THE OPPRESSION OF ETHNIC PEOPLES OF NATIVE
AMERICANS FIRST, OF AFRICANS, OF LATINOS AND ASIAN, I DON'T
HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE. I DON'T THINK YOU DID THAT.
NOW, IF YOU COLLABORATE IN IT, IT IF YOU APPROVE THAT, IF YOU
FAIL TO INTERROGATE AND CRITICIZE THAT, THEN YOU HAVE
TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. BUT, OTHERWISE, DON'T THINK I
AM TALKING ABOUT YOU. AND THAT'S WHAT I THINK IS
IMPORTANT. IN THE 60'S, I DIDN'T EVEN MAKE
THOSE DISTINCTIONS. I JUST WENT ON AND MADE GENERAL
CRITICISM. TO BE HONEST.
MALCOLM DID IT. EVERYBODY DID IT.
WE UNDERSTOOD, ESPECIALLY THE AFRICAN WRITERS, BUT ALSO
MALCOLM, ASKED US TO RECONSIDER THAT AND TO STAY ON CRITIQUE OF
BEHAVIOR RATHER THAN THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES.
AND IF YOU ARE GOING TO CRITICIZE THE PEOPLE,
CRITICIZE THEIR BEHAVIOR, AND NOT MAKE IT LOOK LIKE YOU ARE
CRITICIZING THEIR GENES, THE GENETIC DISORIENTATION AND
DEFORMATION. SO THAT WAS ALSO IMPORTANT.
ALSO, WE ADDED, AS EVERYBODY DID, WE ADDED AGENDA DIMENSION
TO THE PHILOSOPHY. MY PHILOSOPHY I CREATED IN THE
60'S WHEN I BEGAN TO CREATE IT AT U.C.L.A., THIS PHILOSOPHY
CALLED KAWAIDA, AND, OF COURSE, IT HAD IMPACT ON THE MOVEMENT,
BUT ALSO ON THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL.
ONE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL THINGS THAT WE HAD TO DO WAS TO
INTERROGATE OURSELVES IN THE MIDST OF THE STRUGGLE AND ASK
WHAT ARE WE NOT DOING THAT REPRESENTS THE BEST OF WHAT IT
MEANS TO BE BOTH AFRICAN AND HUMAN IN THE FULLEST SENSE.
IN OTHER WORDS, WE WANTED TO JUDGE OURSELVES IN SUCH A WAY
THAT WE MET THE STRICTEST CRITERIA OF HUMANKIND, NOT JUST
ISOLATED IN SAYING WE ARE RIGHT WITHOUT CHECKING WHAT OTHER
PEOPLE ARE DOING. SO AS THE WORLD BEGAN TO
CRITICIZE ITSELF ABOUT GENDER RELATIONS, WE LOOKED AND ASKED
IS THERE THINGS IN OUR PHILOSOPHY THAT ARE NEGATIVE TO
THE BEST OF AFRICAN THOUGHT ALSO.
OF COURSE, WE FOUND IT BECAUSE EVERYBODY WAS SEXIST IN THE
60'S. I MEAN WHETHER YOU TALK ABOUT
RELIGIOUS GROUPS, CHRISTIAN, JEWS, MUSLIMS, OR POLITICAL
GROUPS, MARXIST, NATIONALISTS, YOU NAME IT, RIGHT WING,
CONSERVATIVE, THEY ALL HAD SEXISM.
WE ARE STRUGGLING AGAINST THAT. ALSO WE DIDN'T HAVE CLASS THEN.
WE DIDN'T TALK CLASS. WE SAID WE ALL BELONG TO THE
SAME CLASS, THE CLASS OF THE DISPOSSESSED.
IF WE HAVE TO MAKE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS, WE
HAVE TO UNDERSTAND EVEN WITHIN DISPOSSESSED PEOPLE, THAT
THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE WHO HAD MORE COMFORTABLE CIRCUMSTANCES
AND OPPRESSION. BUT STILL OPPRESSED, BUT THEY
HAVE MORE COMFORTABLE CIRCUMSTANCES.
SO THIS IS EVEN MORE CLEAR TODAY WHEN YOU SEE THE GAP BETWEEN THE
MASSES OF PEOPLE AND SOME OF THE UPPER MIDDLE CLASS.
THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE BEGAN.
THE FINAL CHANGE I THINK THAT I SHOULD NOTE IS THAT EVEN THOUGH
WE STRESS VALUES, AND VALUES IS EVERYTHING, WE DID NOT
SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFY ETHICAL VALUES.
SINCE THE 80'S, WE HAVE SELF- CONSCIOUSLY STRESSED
ETHICAL VALUES. IN FACT, I WENT BACK TO SCHOOL
BOTH AS IN AFRICANA STUDIES SENIOR SCHOLAR AS WELL AS THE
ARCHITECT OF KAWAIDA PHILOSOPHY.
I WENT BACK TO SCHOOL TO ENRICH AND EXPAND MY PHILOSOPHY AND
BLACK STUDIES WITH THIS ETHICAL EMPHASIS.
I ARGUED THAT ETHICS AND ETHICAL DISCOURSE IS ONE OF THE
MOST IMPORTANT DISCOURSES WE CAN ENGAGE IN AS EDUCATORS AND
AS CITIZENS OF THE WORLD, THAT WE HAVE, AS HUMAN BEINGS, THAT
WE HAVE TO FRAME EVERYTHING IN TERMS OF ITS ETHICAL
IMPORTANCE, ITS FOUNDATION, ITS FRAMEWORK.
SO WHAT HAPPENED IS I WENT BACK TO GET A SECOND DOCTORATE IN
SOCIAL ETHICS. IF YOU LOOK AT THE WAY THE WORLD
IS DOING, MOST OF THE QUESTIONS THAT COME UP, I WOULD SAY
MAJORITY OF THE QUESTIONS THAT COME UP THAT ARE CENTRAL TO THIS
COUNTRY AND THE WORLD ARE ETHICALLY BASED QUESTIONS.
BIOMEDICAL ETHICS, ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS,
POLITICAL ETHICS, COMPUTER ETHICS, BUSINESS ETHICS, YOU
NAME IT, ETHICS FORMS A DISTINCT PART.
WHAT MADE THIS ALSO IMPORTANT IS THAT THAT'S A CORE AREA IN
AFRICANA STUDIES BUT WAS UNRECOGNIZED AND UNTAUGHT ON A
LARGER SCALE. IN OTHER WORDS, WE HAVE THE
OLDEST TEXT IN ETHICS AND RELIGION.
SO WHAT I DID WITH MY SECOND DISSERTATION IS WENT BACK TO
THE EARLY TEXT, TRANSLATED THEM, AND WROTE A DISSERTATION
CALLED "MAAT, THE MORAL IDEAL IN ANCIENT EGYPT: A STUDY IN
CLASSICAL AFRICAN ETHICS" WHICH WAS 800 PAGE
DISCUSSION -- CRITICAL DISCUSSION OF OUR CONTRIBUTION
TO THE ETHICAL DEVELOPMENT -- TO THE
DEVELOPMENT OF ETHICAL THOUGHT OF HUMANITY.
THAT WAS WHAT I WANTED TO DO. SO I BEGAN TO INTEGRATE THAT
INTO BLACK STUDIES OR AFRICANA STUDIES, AND IT HAS ALSO BEEN
INFLUENTIAL IN THE MOVEMENT ITSELF.
MY CHANGE ALSO COMES FROM MY COMMITMENT AS A SCHOLAR TO
CONSTANTLY LEARN, TO CONSTANTLY GROW, TO ACTUALLY
ENGAGE EVEN MY OPPOSITION, AND TO DO RIGOROUS SCHOLARSHIP AT
SUCH A LEVEL TO EVEN THOSE WHO DISAGREE WITH MY CONCLUSION
CANNOT DENY THE RIGOR OF MY SCHOLARSHIP. SO THAT'S A VERY
IMPORTANT THING TO ME TO READ. IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT WHEN WE
WERE DOING MULTICULTURALISM AT OUR SCHOOL, AND WE WERE IN THESE
COMMITTEES ON WHAT YOU CALL CURRICULA INTEGRATION.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE FOUND IS THAT WE HAD RELUCTANCE FROM
PEOPLE TO TEACH MULTICULTURALLY BECAUSE THEY
HADN'T RETOOLED, AND I WAS ASKING THE PRESIDENT
ADMINISTRATION TO GIVE MONIES, INCENTIVE FOR PEOPLE TO RETOOL
SO THEY CAN LEARN BECAUSE WE CAN'T DO THESE THINGS WITHOUT
PEOPLE CONTINUING TO GROW, TO STUDY, TO LEARN, TO INTERROGATE
THEMSELVES TO RETHINK THINGS AND TO LOOK AT THE WORLD IN A
WHOLE DIFFERENT WAY WHICH BRINGS US TO THE -- AND THIS, TO
ME, IS NOT ONLY BECAUSE I SEE MYSELF.
MY FIRST NAME IS MAULANA, WHICH MEANS MASTER TEACHER, A NAME
GIVEN ME DURING THE MOVEMENT. I SEE MY ROLE AS A TEACHER TO
CONSTANTLY LEARN, OKAY, TO CONSTANTLY STUDY.
THERE IS NO TIME THAT WE SHOULDN'T STUDY.
THAT'S WHY I LEARNED MANY DIFFERENT LANGUAGES AND WHY I
READ, NOT ONLY ARTICLES IN BOOKS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO MY
POSITION, BUT I ESPECIALLY STUDY THOSE THAT ARE IN
CONFLICT WITH MY POSITION. I DO THAT NOT ONLY TO SHARPEN MY
ARGUMENT WHEN I MEET MY OPPONENT, BUT ALSO TO SEE THE
WORTH OR VALUE OF ANYTHING THAT THEY MIGHT BE SAYING THAT I
MISSED. I THINK WE HAVE TO HAVE AN OPEN
TEXTURED LEARNING PROCESS, ONE THAT SAYS NO MATTER WHAT WE
LEARN, THERE IS STILL SOMETHING OUT THERE THAT THE GREATEST
PART OF TRUTH IS THAT WHICH IS HIDDEN, AND THAT WE MUST
DISCOVER IT AS MARY MCLEOD BETHUNE SAY, DISCOVER THIS
DAWN, AND THEN SHARE IT WITH THE MASSES OF OUR PEOPLE AND OUR
CHILDREN. >>DR. KARENGA, WHAT IS
NECESSARY TO BE AN EFFECTIVE MULTICULTURAL TEACHER?
>> FIRST THING WE HAVE TO DO IS HAVE A CONCEPT OF
MULTICULTURISM THAT REACHES BEYOND SHARED FOOD FESTIVAL AND
FASHION, SPECIAL DAYS, MAKING BLACK PEOPLE, BROWN PEOPLE, RED
PEOPLE, YELLOW PEOPLE, OR AFRICANS, NATIVE AMERICANS,
LATINOS AND ASIANS, MAKING THEM A TOPIC RATHER THAN SEEING THEM
AS A SUBJECT. SO THAT'S THE FIRST THING WE
HAVE TO DO IS TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE A MORE COMPLEX CONCEPTION
OF MULTICULTURALISM. MULTICULTURALISM IS THOUGHT
AND PRACTICE ORGANIZED AROUND FOUR FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES AT
A MINIMUM. THE FIRST IS MUTUAL RESPECT FOR
EACH PEOPLE AND CULTURE AS A UNIQUE AND EQUALLY VALUABLE WAY
OF BEING HUMAN IN THE WORLD. NO SUPERIOR OR INFERIOR PEOPLE.
EACH PEOPLE ARE UNIQUE IN EQUALLY VALUABLE WAY OF BEING
HUMAN IN THE WORLD. THAT MEANS YOU RESPECT THEIR
HISTORY AS YOU WOULD WANT US TO RESPECT YOUR HISTORY.
YOU RESPECT THEIR CULTURE. YOU RESPECT THEIR LANGUAGE.
OKAY. SO THAT WHAT WE HAVE THEN IS A
MEETING OF EQUALS. SO WE DON'T HAVE TO GET IN THE
WORD, THESE PEOPLE ARE DEFICIENT, THEY HAVE
ACHIEVEMENT GAPS, ALL THAT. WE FIRST RESPECT THEM THEY ARE
HUMAN BEINGS, WORTHY OF THE HIGHEST RESPECT.
THE SECOND CRITERIA FOR MULTICULTURISM IS MUTUAL
RESPECT FOR EACH PEOPLE'S RIGHT AND RESPONSIBILITY TO SPEAK
THEIR ONLY SPECIAL CULTURAL TRUTHS AND MAKE THEIR OWN
UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO THE FORWARD FLOW OF HUMAN HISTORY.
WHEN WE ARE IN A CLASSROOM, THAT TRANSLATES AS SAYING WHAT IS
YOUR LIFE AND PUTTING IT ON THE LEVEL WITH THE HIGHS OF LIFE YOU
KNOW. USING EACH PEOPLE'S CULTURE AS
A SOURCE OF WHAT WE CALL REFLECTIVE PROBLEMATICS,
POINTS FOR THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT THE FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES OF
HUMAN KIND. WE CAN'T SEE YOU AS THE ONLY
PLACE WE CAN GET PHILOSOPHICAL, SCIENTIFIC, SOCIOLOGICAL,
ANTHROPOLOGICAL IDEA. WE HAVE TO BELIEVE AND KNOW THAT
EVERY CULTURE HAS A SPECIAL TRUTH TO SPEAK, AND WE HAVE TO
LET THE STUDENTS SPEAK IT, AND WE HAVE TO HELP THE STUDENTS
FIND IT, AND DEVELOP IT SO THEY ARE -- THEY ARE REAFFIRMED IN
THE FIRST PRINCIPLE, THAT THEY ARE UNIQUE AND EQUALLY VALUABLE
WAYS OF BEING HUMAN IN THE WORLD.
THAT'S THE WHOLE DIFFERENT KIND -- THIS IS AN ETHICAL
REQUIREMENT FOR EDUCATION. IT IS PEDAGOGY THAT STARTS WITH
RESPECT. THEN WE GET TO THE OTHER THINGS.
WE HAVE TO HAVE RESPECT. THE THIRD THING IS MUTUAL
COMMITMENT TO THE CONSTANT SEARCH FOR COMMON GROUND IN THE
MIDST OF OUR DIVERSITY. OKAY, SO I AM ARGUING WITH
DIVERSE, BUT I AM ALSO ARGUING AS HUMAN BEINGS, AS FELLOW
AMERICANS, WE ARE, WHAT? SIMILAR ALSO.
WE HAVE COMMON INTERESTS. AND WE HAVE TO SEARCH FOR THOSE
COMMON INTERESTS, AND WE HAVE TO BUILD ON THOSE COMMON
INTERESTS. WE HAVE COMMON GROUND.
WE HAVE TO BUILD ON THOSE COMMON GROUND.
YOU SEE, OTHERWISE YOU CAN'T HAVE A GOOD CLASS. YOU SEE?
WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT MAKE US ALIKE?
NOW WE ARE NOT GOING TO ERASE OUR DIFFERENCES, OKAY.
MARTIN LUTHER KING IS AN AFRICAN AMERICAN, RIGHT, BUT HE
IS A GREAT RELIGIOUS TEACHER. HE IS A PROPHET OF A SORT.
OKAY. SO HOW DO WE COMPARE HIM TO OTHER PROPHETS, OTHER GREAT
RELIGIOUS TEACHERS? YOU SEE, THAT'S WHAT WE DO.
WE HAVE SACRED TEXTS. OKAY, WE KNOW THE BIBLE IS A
SACRED TEXT, BUT DO YOU KNOW THE POPOL VUH, THE MAYAN SACRED
TEXT? DO YOU KNOW THE BHAGAVAD GITA, THE HINDU? DO YOU KNOW
MAAT, THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN SACRED TEXT? DO YOU KNOW
ODU IFA, THE YORUBA SACRED TEXT? HOW DO YOU ENRICH YOUR CLASSROOM WITH THESE OTHER
SACRED TEXTS. ARE YOU GOING TO BE THE ONLY
SUBJECT OF EVERY SENTENCE. THAT'S THE PROBLEM SOMETIMES.
THE TEACHERS BECOME -- THEY WANT THEIR CULTURE TO BE THE
SUBJECT OF EVERY SENTENCE. THEY DON'T WANT TO DISCUSS
IN DIGNITY AFFIRMING. THIS IS A KEY THING FOR ME. WE MUST
DISCUSS THINGS ALWAYS IN DIGNITY AFFIRMING WAYS.
THIS SEARCH FOR COMMON GROUND MEANS THAT YOU FIND DIGNITY OF
AFFIRMING COMMON GROUND, NOT WHERE YOU ARE ALWAYS SUPERIOR,
AND, YES, WE DO THESE THINGS, BUT OUR'S IS BETTER.
YOU SEE. THE FOURTH THING FOR
MULTICULTURALISM, AFTER THESE FIRST THREE PRINCIPLES IS
MUTUAL COMMITMENT TO AN ETHICS OF SHARING THAT RESULTS IN A
SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR BUILDING THE WORLD WE WANT AND
DESERVE TO LIVE IN. THAT ETHICS OF SHARING IS BASED
ON THE CONCEPT THAT THE GREATEST GOOD, ACCORDING TO
AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY, KAWAIDA, ESPECIALLY, THE GREATEST GOOD
IS SHARED GOOD. THE GREAT GOODS OF HUMANITY IN
THE WORLD ARE SHARED GOOD. FREEDOM, JUSTICE, SISTERHOOD,
BROTHERHOOD, PEACE, ALL THESE ARE SHARED GOODS.
SO WHAT WE HAVE TO ASK OURSELVES, WHAT ARE THE
FUNDAMENTAL SHARED GOODS THAT WE MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR
PRESERVING, SHARING AND PROMOTING IN THE WORLD?
AND I THINK THERE ARE SEVERAL. THE FIRST IS SHARED STATUS.
I ALWAYS GO BACK TO THIS. SHARED STATUS MEANS MUTUAL
RESPECT FOR EACH PEOPLE AND CULTURE.
NO SUPERIOR INFERIOR RACE, YOU SEE.
IF A TEACHER DOESN'T ACCEPT THAT AS THE FIRST PRINCIPLE OF
EDUCATION, THEY GOT A BAD PEDAGOGY RIGHT AWAY, AND THE
RESULT IS GOING TO BE NEGATIVE AND DEFICIENT, OKAY.
TO BE A FULL HUMAN BEING LEARNING, TO BE RESPECTED AS
THAT, IS KEY. ANCIENT EGYPT TAUGHT THAT ONE
OF THE WAYS TO SHOW THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT IT MEANS TO
BE HUMAN IS ANCIENT EGYPTIAN INTRODUCED TO THE WORLD THE
CONCEPT AS EARLY AS 2140 BC, THE CONCEPT OF SHEPESU, THAT IS THE
DIGNITY, INHERENT DIGNITY OF HUMAN BEINGS.
IT STARTED WITH THE CONCEPT THAT HUMAN IS IN
THE IMAGE OF GOD. BUT IT DEVELOPED BY THE MIDDLE
KINGDOM INTO THIS CONCEPT OF SHEPESU WHICH MEANS DIGNITY,
THAT MEANS AN INHERIT WORD DEFINED BY ITS BEING
TRANSCENDENT BEYOND ALL SOCIAL BIOLOGICAL STATUSES OR
CATEGORY, THAT IT IS EQUAL IN EVERYBODY.
AND, THIRD, THAT IT IS INALIENABLE, NO ONE CAN TAKE
FROM YOU. IN FACT, IT IS REFLECTED IN
JEFFERSON'S CONVERSATION, WHICH HYPOCRITICAL OF COURSE
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, PEOPLE CREATED EQUAL ARE
ENDOWED WITH -- CREATED WITH CERTAIN INALIENABLE RIGHTS.
WE KNOW SHARED STATUS. THE SECOND IS SHARED KNOWLEDGE.
KNOWLEDGE IS KEY. YOU SEE, WHEN WE ARE TEACHERS,
AND WE TALK ABOUT SHARING KNOWLEDGE, WE MUST SEE IT AS AN
ETHICAL REQUIREMENT. ITS NOT JUST SOMETHING PEOPLE
DO TO KEEP CHILDREN OUT OF TROUBLE OR EVEN TO JUST GET A
JOB. THAT'S WHAT DUBOIS SAID.
IF YOU TEACH THEM TO MAKE MONEY, ALL YOU HAVE DONE IS MADE MONEY.
YOU MUST TEACH THEM TO BE FULL HUMAN BEINGS, MEN AND WOMEN WHO
SERVE, WHO WANT THE WORLD TO BE A BETTER PLACE AND INVEST IN IT,
AND USE THEIR KNOWLEDGE TO ADVANCE THE HUMAN CAUSE.
THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT POINT HERE.
SO WE HAVE A RIGHT. WE MUST ESTABLISH THE KNOWLEDGE
AND APPROACH IT AS A HUMAN RIGHT.
NOT SOME COURTESY YOU ARE GIVING THE STUDENT, BUT AS A
HUMAN RIGHT AND ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THOSE WHO
CALL THEMSELVES TEACHERS. THE THIRD ONE IS SHARED SPACE
WHICH LEARN TO SHARE THE COUNTRY, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, AND
ENVIRONMENT. WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY, NOT
TO FEAR AND TO FEAR MONGER AND FEAR PEDAL AGAINST IMMIGRANTS.
BUT WE HAVE TO HAVE EQUAL IMMIGRATION POLICY.
WE HAVE TO TALK NOT JUST ABOUT LATINOS, BUT ALSO ABOUT HAITIANS, AND ASIANS, AND EVERYONE ELSE THAT
COMES IN HERE, AND THEY ARE DENIED ACCESS UNJUSTLY AND
UNETHICALLY. SO I THINK IT IS VERY IMPORTANT,
ALSO, FOR US TO LEARN TO SHARE THE ENVIRONMENT.
THIS IS A COMMON HUMAN HERITAGE, CORPORATIONS HAVE NO
RIGHT TO POLLUTE AND DEPLETE THE WORLD. WE HAVE TO TAKE
THAT AS A RESPONSIBILITY. I THINK ALL EDUCATION TODAY HAS
TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE PLANET AND SHOULD HAVE AN
ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICAL COMPONENT TO IT.
OKAY. SO SHARED SPACE.
THE OTHER IS SHARED WEALTH. OKAY.
I KNOW THIS SOUNDS KIND OF SCARY TO SOME PEOPLE, BUT YOU KNOW THE
WORLD BELONGS TO EVERYBODY. AND CERTAINLY THE WEALTH AND
PEOPLE'S LAND BELONGS TO THEM. WE DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE
OTHER PEOPLE'S OIL AND WATER. WE DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE
JUST 20% OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION AND CONSUME 80% OF
THE WORLD'S RESOURCES AND ASK WHY PEOPLE HAVE PROBLEMS WITH
US. WE HAVE TO SHARE THE WEALTH OF
THE WORLD. THE WEALTH OF THE WORLD IS GOOD,
AND IT BELONGS TO EVERYBODY. PEOPLE AS PRESIDENT OBAMA SAID
RECENTLY, PEOPLE CAN HAVE JUSTICE AND PROSPERITY IF THEY
SHARE AND WORK. WHETHER HE COULD DO THAT, GIVEN
THE HISTORY OF THE COUNTRY IS ANOTHER THING. BUT AT LEAST IT
IS A PRINCIPLE THAT WE SHOULD SUBSCRIBE TO.
AND THEN SHARED POWER. PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO CONTROL
THEIR DESTINY AND DAILY LIVES. WE CAN'T SAY ONE STATE HAS A
RIGHT TO EXIST AND ANOTHER STATE DON'T HAVE A RIGHT TO
EXIST. WE CAN'T SAY. PEOPLE HAVE A
RIGHT TO LIVE A LIFE IN SECURITY, AND SAY THE OTHER
PEOPLE DON'T HAVE IT. WE HAVE TO BE CONSISTENT ON
THESE THINGS. PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO
SELF- DETERMINATION, TO DEFINE THEMSELF, TO BUILD A LIFE TO
CONTROL THEIR DESTINY AND DAILY LIVES, SPEAK THEIR OWN SPECIAL
CULTURAL TRUTH AND MAKE THEIR OWN UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO THE
FORWARD FLOW OF HUMAN HISTORY. SHARED INTEREST, YOU KNOW, WE
HAVE SHARED INTEREST. I THINK THESE ARE THE MINIMUM.
MUTUAL RESPECT FOR THE RIGHTS AND DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN
PERSON. THE WELL-BEING AND FLOURISHING
OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY, THE INTEGRITY AND VALUE OF THE
ENVIRONMENT, AND AND THE RECIPROCAL OF
SOLIDARITY OF HUMANITY AND ITS COOPERATION FOR COMMON GOOD.
AND FINALLY, MUTUAL COMMITMENT, - A SHARED
RESPONSIBILITY. SHARED RESPONSIBILITY IS THE
LAST ONE THAT WE TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WORLD WE
WANT AND DESERVE TO LIVE IN. JUST THIS NICE QUOTE TO END
THERE, FROM THE HUSIA, SACRED TEXT OF ANCIENT EGYPT,
SAID, DOING GOOD, DOING GOOD IS NOT DIFFICULT.
JUST SPEAKING GOOD IS MONUMENT FOR THOSE WHO DO IT.
FOR THOSE WHO DO GOOD FOR OTHERS, ALSO, AT THE SAME TIME,
DOING IT FOR THEMSELF FOR THEY ARE BUILDING THE GOOD WORLD
THEY ALL WANT AND DESERVE TO LIVE IN.
>>DR. KARENGA, CAN YOU HELP US UNDERSTAND WHY THERE IS SO
LITTLE ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN PEOPLE IN
AMERICAN HISTORY AND WHAT IMPACT DOES THAT HAVE ON US AS
CITIZENS? >> ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
ACHIEVEMENTS WE MADE WAS NOT ONLY KNOCKING DOWN LEGAL
BARRIERS, CREATING DIFFERENT DIALOGUE ABOUT AMERICA AND
ITSELF INTERROGATED. BUT WE INTRODUCED A WHOLE CONCEPT OF
CULTURE PLURALISM AS A PRACTICE RATHER THAN SIMPLY A THEORY.
IT IS THEN WHEN WE DEMANDED BLACK STUDIES AND THROUGH THAT,
CHICANO, AND LATINO, AND ASIAN, AND NATIVE AMERICAN STUDY AND
OPENED THE REALM FOR WOMEN STUDIES.
BECAUSE WHAT WE DID WAS CHALLENGE THE UNIVERSITY AS THE
BRAIN OF SOCIETY, AND AS A SPACE THAT REFLECTED SOCIETY AND THAT
SHOULD, IN FACT, CORRECT ITSELF AS WE WERE CORRECTING SOCIETY.
SO THAT WAS A VERY IMPORTANT THING.
AND IT IS AN UNFINISHED STRUGGLE.
WHEN YOU ASK THE QUESTION, WHY PEOPLE DON'T REALLY RECOGNIZE
THIS, THERE ARE SEVERAL REASONS.
FIRST, THE STRUGGLE IS NOT OVER.
THE FIGHT IS NOT FINISHED. THERE IS AN ONGOING STRUGGLE
TO, IN FACT, MAKE THIS COUNTRY RECOGNIZE THAT IT IS NOT A WHITE
FINISHED PRODUCT, BUT AN UNFINISHED ONGOING
MULTICULTURAL PROJECT, AND THAT EACH PEOPLE BOTH HAVE THE
RIGHT AND RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE THEIR OWN UNIQUE CULTURAL
CONTRIBUTION, TO SPEAK THEIR OWN SPECIAL CULTURE TRUTH AND
TO MAKE OWN UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION HOW THIS SOCIETY IS RECONCEIVED
AND RECONSTRUCTED. THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT POINT
THERE. EACH PEOPLE HAVE BOTH THE RIGHT
AND RESPONSIBILITY TO SPEAK ITS OWN SPECIAL CULTURE TRUTH, AND
TO MAKE HIS OWN UNIQUE CULTURE CONTRIBUTION TO HOW THIS
SOCIETY IS CONCEIVED AND RECONSTRUCTED, RECONCEIVED AND
RECONSTRUCTED. THE OTHER REASON THAT IT IS NOT
IS THAT IT IS VERY DIFFICULT FROM A DOMINANT SOCIETY
PERSPECTIVE TO GIVE CREDENCE AND VALUE, ESPECIALLY EQUAL
VALUE TO THE HISTORY OF ONE OF ITS DOMINATED AND SUBORDINATED
PEOPLE. AND SO THERE IS THIS CONCEPTUAL
IMPRISONMENT THAT AMERICA IS IN, IN THAT YOU CANNOT BE BLACK
AND GREAT AT THE SAME TIME. SO EVEN IF YOU MAKE A GREAT
HISTORY, IT HAS BEEN TO BE REINTERPRETED SO IT IS DILUTED
AND MADE TO BE GENERALLY AMERICAN RATHER THAN AFRICAN
AMERICAN. YOU SEE, IT IS ALL RIGHT TO BE
AMERICAN, BUT YOU CAN'T BE AFRICAN, YOU GOT TO BE, YOU
KNOW, AMERICAN BECAUSE BLACK AND GREATNESS DON'T GO
TOGETHER. YOU CAN TELL THAT WITH OUR
HEROES AND HEROINES. IF WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT MARTIN
LUTHER KING, WE HAVE TO KEEP SAYING, HE IS NOT JUST A BLACK
PERSON. HE DIDN'T JUST SPEAK TO BLACK
PEOPLE. JEWS DON'T SAY THIS IS JUST A
JEWISH PERSON. YOU KNOW, ITALIANS DON'T STEP
UP, SAY THIS IS NOT JUST ITALIAN.
WHY ARE WE ALWAYS TRYING TO REASSURE PEOPLE WE ARE NOT
TAKING CREDIT FOR WHAT WE HAVE DONE.
BECAUSE WE DON'T DO THAT, WE TEND TO GO ALONG WITH THESE
DILUTED AND SUPERFICIAL HISTORIES AND INTERPRETATIONS
OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AFRICAN IN THE WORLD.
SO THAT WHEN WE TALK FOR -- I WILL GIVE ANOTHER EXAMPLE, NOT
ONLY HOW WE DO OUR HEROES AND HEROINES HOW WE REFUSE TO LET
MARTIN LUTHER KING, BE A BLACK PERSON, AFRICAN PERSON, IN AN
AMERICAN CONTEXT, THAT CREATES BOTH OUT OF HIS OWN COMMUNAL
HISTORY AS WELL AS THE LARGER AMERICAN HISTORY. THAT'S THE
WAY WE HAVE TO TALK. I DON'T JUST DROP FROM THE SKY.
THEY DON'T GROW FROM THE GROUND.
THEY DON'T FLOW IN FROM THE SEA. THEY COME FROM THE SOCIAL
CONTEXT. PART THAT HAVE SOCIAL CONTEXT
IS BOTH AFRICAN AND AMERICAN. THAT'S HOW HE DID.
WITHOUT KING BEING ROOTED IN AFRICAN AMERICAN RELIGIOUS
CULTURE, THERE WOULD BE NO KING.
NO MATTER HOW MANY BOOKS HE READS AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY.
WITHOUT HIM ROOTING HIMSELF IN THE BLACK RELIGIOUS HISTORY AND
CULTURE OF HIS PEOPLE, IT IS SOCIAL ETHICS. IT IS LOVE FOR
TRUTH AND JUSTICE. IT IS APPRECIATION OF PEACE AND
OF NON-VIOLENCE. THERE IS NO -- THERE IS NO WAY
HE COULD HAVE BEEN WHO HE WAS BECAUSE, ACTUALLY, THERE ARE
OTHER PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY THEY DIDN'T INVOLVE THIS.
AND HE DIDN'T LEARN THIS FROM HAGAR OR ANY OTHER PEOPLE.
PEOPLE LIKE THE CITE HE READ. EVEN GANDHI, HE TAKES IT AND
BUILDS ON IT AND, WHAT, AFRICAN CONTEXT, RIGHT, AND GANDHI
SHOULD BE GIVEN CREDIT. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THOREAU,
THE REST OF THEM, THE PEOPLE THAT HE LISTS THAT HE READ.
THAT IS TO SHOW THE BREADTH OF HIS LEARNING, BUT THE DEPTH OF
HIS COMMITMENT AND UNDERSTANDING COMES OUT OF THE
MOST ANCIENT, EVEN IF HE IS UNAWARE, THE MOST ANCIENT AND
RELIGIOUS ETHICAL TRADITION IN THE WORLD, THAT'S THE AFRICAN.
THE OLDEST TEXT IN THE WORLD, AND OLDEST TRADITION IN THE
WORLD IS IN AFRICA. I WANT US TO DO THAT.
NOW ANOTHER THING IS THE INTERPRETIVE PROBLEMS THAT WE
HAVE. TAKE FOR EXAMPLE, THE HOLOCAUST
OF ENSLAVEMENT, A LOT OF TIMES WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ENSLAVEMENT,
WE TALK ABOUT SLAVERY. WHAT THAT DOES IS, AND WE TALK
ABOUT SLAVES, ANONYMOUS SLAVES. WE DON'T EVEN CALL
AFRICANS BY THEIR NAME. WE LIFT THEM OUT OF THEIR
HISTORICAL CONTEXT. WE ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE IN THE WORLD
WHERE YOU CAN SAY SLAVE, AND PEOPLE WILL SAY, OH, WE ARE
TALKING ABOUT AFRICAN. THEY DON'T SAY, GREEK, ROMAN,
JEW, GENTILE. THEY WILL SAY, THAT'S AFRICAN.
BOOKS, THE WORLD THE SLAVES MADE, SLAVE COMMUNITY, SLAVERY
VOTES, ANYTHING, PEOPLE ASSUME THAT'S AFRICAN.
AND WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IF WE ARE GOING TO INTERPRET HISTORY
CORRECTLY, WE FIRST OF ALL HAVE TO GIVE THE PEOPLE THEIR NAME.
THE AFRICANS. OKAY.
THEY COME HERE AS AFRICANS. OKAY.
OH, THEY GOT DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES, BUT WE ARE
TALKING ABOUT AFRICANS AT THIS POINT.
OKAY. AND THE SECOND, WE HAVE GOT TO
GIVE CONCEDE THE DIGNITY OF THEIR LIVES AND THE MEANING OF
THEIR STRUGGLE. SO WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT KILLING
TEN TO A HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE AS TRADE.
WE CAN'T SAY SLAVE TRADE. THAT CREATES A COMMERCIAL
CONCEPT OF BUSINESS GONE BAD WITH COLLATERAL DAMAGE.
WE HAVE TO CALL IT BY THE NAME THAT U.N. AND OTHER
INTERNATIONAL BODIES USE WHEN THEY REFER TO THE MOST HORRIBLE
OF GENOCIDE, AND THAT'S HOLOCAUST.
BY HOLOCAUST, I MEAN A MORALLY MONSTROUS ACT OF GENOCIDE NOT ONLY
AGAINST THE TARGETED PEOPLE, BUT ACTUALLY IS ALSO A CRIME
AGAINST HUMANITY. IT EXPRESSES ITSELF IN THREE
BASIC WAYS, MORALLY MONSTER DESTRUCTION OF HUMAN LIFE,
HUMAN CULTURE AND HUMAN POSSIBILITY.
SO THAT BRINGS IN A WHOLE DIFFERENT KIND OF
CONVERSATION. WHAT IS THIS DESTRUCTION OF
HUMAN LIFE? WHY DON'T WE KNOW HOW MANY
BLACK PEOPLE, AFRICAN PEOPLE ARE KILLED?
WHY DON'T WE KNOW THAT? WHY DO WE TALK ABOUT BUSINESS
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MILLIONS DEAD?
YOU SEE, MILLIONS, NOT JUST A THOUSAND.
THE LOSS OF ONE HUMAN LIFE IS A TRAGEDY.
HOW MUCH MORE SERIOUSLY TRAGIC IS THE LOSS OF MILLIONS AND
MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF AFRICAN PEOPLE?
THE LOSS AND DESTRUCTION OF HUMAN CULTURE, NOT JUST THE
BURNING OF SOME THATCH ROOFED HOUSES, BUT THE DESTRUCTION OF
GREAT CITIES AND TOWNS, EVEN VILLAGES.
CIVILIZATIONS, OKAY, GREAT WORKS OF ART AND LITERATURE,
AND THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THEM. WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THAT.
WE CAN'T JUST SUM THAT UP AS TRADE AS IF TRADE IS SOME KIND
OF NICE BUSINESS WE ENGAGED IN, AND THERE WAS NO MASS *** AND
SLAUGHTER IN THIS PROCESS. WE DESTROYED THINGS THAT WERE
NOT ONLY IMPORTANT TO US, I SHOULD SAY THIS PROCESS
DESTROYED THINGS, THAT NOT ONLY WERE IMPORTANT TO AFRICANS, BUT
WERE IMPORTANT TO HUMANITY. AND, FINALLY, OF COURSE, THE
MORAL MONSTER DESTRUCTION OF HUMAN POSSIBILITY, TO LIFT
PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR OWN HISTORY AND MAKE THEM A FOOTNOTE AND
FORGOTTEN CASUALTY, AND TO TEACH THE WORLD TO HATE THEM AND
SUSPECT THEM AND DEVALUE THEM AND TO DEGRADE THEM AND TO
DESTROY NORMAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMANS SO THAT YOU ASK,
IT IS A COUNTRY READY FOR A BLACK?
WHY WOULDN'T THEY? WHY WOULDN'T THEY BE READY FOR
AN AFRICAN? WHY WOULDN'T THEY BE READY FOR
AN AFRICAN AMERICAN? YOU SEE, IT IS BECAUSE OF RACISM
WHICH DEVALUES AND DEGRADES AND ASSIGNS PEOPLE HUMAN WORTH AND
SOCIAL STATUS DEPENDING UPON HOW CLOSE THEY ARE TO WHITE
PEOPLE. SO THAT CONVERSATION IS
MISSING, YOU SEE, AND IT IS MISSING BECAUSE IT CREATES A
WHOLE DIFFERENT INTELLECTUAL CHALLENGE TO PEOPLE WITH OLD
NOTES AND OLD IDEAS THAT NEED TO BE RETOOLED, YOU SEE.
>> DR. KARENGA, WHEN WE CONSIDER THE ACADEMIC
ACHIEVEMENT GAP THAT IS TAKING PLACE ESPECIALLY AMONG AFRICAN
AMERICANS AND LATINO STUDENTS, HOW MUCH OF THAT IS CONNECTED TO
THIS DISCONNECTION THAT THESE STUDENTS HAVE WITH THEIR OWN
PAST? >> WELL, AGAIN, WHAT WE HAVE TO
DO IS MAKE SURE WE ARE NOT CONCEPTUALLY IN PRISON.
WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IN ACHIEVEMENT GAP BASED ON PEOPLE
NOT KNOWING WHO THEY ARE AND WHERE THEY CAME FROM, IT IS A
LITTLE BIT MORE COMPLEX THAN THAT. EVEN THOSE THAT'S A
FUNDAMENTAL PART OF IT. LIKE WHEN I START OUT MY
INTRODUCTION OF BLACK STUDIES CLASS.
THE FIRST THING I TELL PEOPLE, IS BLACK STUDIES IS
INTELLECTUAL DISCIPLINE. ITS NOT ABOUT PRIDE.
PRIDE WILL COME OF ITSELF. ITS ABOUT KNOWLEDGE,
ACQUISITION. IT IS ABOUT CRITICAL THINKING.
IT IS ABOUT BELOW THE SURFACE THINKING ABOUT THE WORLD AND
AFRICA'S RELATIONSHIP TO THE REST OF THE WORLD AND
INTERNALLY WITH ITSELF. SO I THINK IT IS VERY IMPORTANT
FOR US TO UNDERSTAND IF WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ACHIEVEMENT GAP,
WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT RACISM AND SOCIAL CONTEXT.
IDEAS, AGAIN, DON'T DROP FROM THE SKY, GROW FROM THE GROUND OR
FLOATING FROM THE SEA. THEY COME FROM THE SOCIAL
CONTEXT. SO IF PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING AN
ACHIEVEMENT GAP, WE HAVE TO LOOK FOR SOURCES FIRST IN
SOCIETY BECAUSE EVEN WHEN THEY HAVE PERSONAL PROBLEMS, UNLESS
YOU BELIEVE IN GENETIC DISORIENTATION, YOU MUST FIND A
SOCIAL REASON FOR IT. HUMAN BEINGS ARE SOCIAL BEINGS FIRST.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? UNLESS WE HAVE BACKWARD CONCEPT THAT
THEY ARE SUPERIOR RACES, THEN WE HAVE TO ASK OURSELF, WHAT IN
SOCIETY IS NEGATIVE TO SOME PEOPLE, MAKING CERTAIN
ACHIEVEMENT. POOR PEOPLE DON'T ACHIEVE AS
MUCH AS PEOPLE THAT ARE CULTIVATED FROM BIRTH TO STUDY
AND TO GO TO SCHOOL AND TO VALUE EDUCATION AND TO FEEL PROUD OF
THEMSELVES AND TO BE TOLD THEY WILL RULE THE WORLD.
TAKE FOR EXAMPLE, ME, I WAS BORN POOR.
BUT MY MOTHER AND FATHER, PUT A GREAT EMPHASIS ON EDUCATION.
IN FACT, I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS BORN UNTIL SOMEBODY TOLD ME.
WE PUT EMPHASIS ON LOVING EACH OTHER ON THE QUALITY OF HUMAN
RELATION, ON ACHIEVEMENT, ON KNOWING.
KNOWLEDGE IS JUST A BEAUTIFUL THING.
IT OPENS ONE'S MIND. IT GIVES ONE THE CAPACITY THAT
ONE WOULDN'T ORDINARILY HAVE. THAT IS DIFFERENT FOR ME. I
LOVING LEARNING YOU CAN AND MY FAMILY LOVE LEARNING.
IMAGINE A SOCIAL CONTEXT IN WHICH THAT IS NOT STRESSED, AND
WHICH THE ONLY STRESS YOU GET IS TO MAKE IT ACCORDING TO LUMPEN
LIFE OR STREET LIFE, AND THAT YOU HAVE BEEN INCARCERATED IN A
GHETTO, AND THAT YOUR CHANCES OF IMAGINING A NEW WORLD ARE
ALMOST NIL. WHAT ARE YOUR STANDARDS?
AND WHAT DO YOU STRIVE FOR? I SUPPOSE YOU GO TO SCHOOL, AND
THE TEACHERS THAT TALK TO YOU, TALKED TO YOU AS IF YOU WERE A
NON-BEING OR AS A FAILURE ALREADY.
THEY KIND OF PREDISPOSE YOU TOWARD FAILURE BECAUSE THEY
HAVE ALREADY -- IMAGINED THAT YOU CANNOT DO WHAT NORMAL QUOTE
UNQUOTE PEOPLE DO. SO WHAT I WANT TO SEE IS TO ASK
OURSELVES WHAT DOES THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN SOCIETY OFFER THE
PEOPLE WHO ACHIEVE LESS THAN OTHERS.
WHAT ARE THEY SAYING TO THESE PEOPLE?
WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO THESE PEOPLE?
WHAT ENABLING CAPACITIES DO THEY OFFER THESE PEOPLE?
IF THESE PEOPLE COME WITH CERTAIN DEFICIENCIES, HOW DO WE
COMPENSATE FOR THAT? HOW DO WE CORRECT THAT?
HOW DO WE GIVE THEM MORE ATTENTION, GIVEN THAT THEY COME
WITH LESS TO WORK WITH? WHAT IS OUR ATTITUDE?
A WHOLE QUESTION OF PEDAGOGY, ALSO.
BUT I WANT TO GET BACK TO THE WHOLE CONTEXT OF RACISM.
I HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THAT. BECAUSE IF WE DON'T TALK ABOUT
THAT, WE MISSED A MAJOR POINT HERE.
WHEN I AM TALKING ABOUT RACISM, I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND, I AM
NOT TALKING ABOUT PREJUDICE. AGAIN, GETTING AWAY FROM JUST
ATTITUDE. ATTITUDE, SOMEBODY GOT
ALTITUDE, WE SAY GET SOME THERAPY.
THEY DON'T LIKE YOU, HEY, GET THERAPY.
IF THOSE PEOPLE CAN TURN THAT ATTITUDE INTO PUBLIC POLICY AND
INTO EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES, THEN THAT'S A PROBLEM FOR ME.
OKAY. AND SO RACISM IS A SYSTEM OF
DENIAL, DEFAMATION AND DESTRUCTION OF A PEOPLE'S
HISTORY, HUMANITY, AND RIGHT TO FREEDOM BASED EXCLUSIVELY OR
PRIMARILY ON THE SPECIOUS, FALSE CONCEPT OF RACE.
WHEN I SAY RACE US SPECIOUS, SEEMING TO BE REAL BUT NOT.
I MEAN STRIPPED OF ALL PSEUDO SCIENTIFIC MYSTIFICATION.
IT'S NOTHING BUT A SOCIO BIOLOGICAL CATEGORY USED TO
ASSIGN HUMAN WORTH AND SOCIAL STATUS USING WHITE PEOPLE AS
THE MODEL. IN OTHER WORDS, THE CLOSER YOU ARE TO WHITE, THE
HIGHER YOUR HUMAN WORTH AND HIGHER YOUR SOCIAL STATUS.
FURTHER YOU ARE AWAY FROM WHITE, THE LOWER YOUR HUMAN
WORTH AND LOWER YOUR SOCIAL STATUS.
THAT HAPPENS NOT ONLY IN QUESTIONS OF BLACK PEOPLE IN
RELATIONSHIP TO THE POLICE AND HOW THEY TREAT THEM, BUT ALSO IN
EMPLOYMENT, IN EDUCATION, AND OTHER AREAS OF LIFE WHAT WE CALL
CRITICAL SPACE. IN THESE CRITICAL SPACES,
PEOPLE ARE EITHER ENCOURAGED OR DISCOURAGED.
THEY ARE ADVANCED OR PUSHED BACK OR PREVENTED FROM
REALIZING THE INHERIT CAPACITY THAT ALL HUMAN BEINGS HAVE.
SO WHAT I WANT US TO DO IS SEE THAT ACHIEVEMENT GAP IS A
SOCIAL PROBLEM, NOT A RACIAL PROBLEM.
IT IS JUST LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, CRIME.
YOU SEE, THEY CALL CRIME A RACIAL PROBLEM.
THEY SAY BLACK CRIME, BUT THEY DON'T EVER SAY WHITE CRIME.
WHITE PEOPLE FOUGHT ALL THE WORLD WARS WE KNOW, AND KILLED
JUST WORLD WAR II ALONE, OVER 40 MILLION.
PEOPLE DON'T SAY, WHAT IS WRONG WITH WHITE CRIME, WHY WHITE
PEOPLE KILLING EACH OTHER. >>WHAT THEY DO WHEN THEY TALK
ABOUT BLACK CRIME, THEY RACIALIZE CRIME AND
CRIMINALIZE THE RACE. WHEN YOU RACIALIZE THE
DEFICIENCY OR LACK OF ACHIEVEMENT, YOU, IN FACT,
INDICT THE PEOPLE WITH THAT, AND YOU INDICT THEM RACIALLY,
I.E., GENETICALLY, AND YOU BUILD IN A SYSTEM OF
DEPRIVATION AND DEGRADATION AND EVEN DOMINATION OF THESE
PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE THEY NEED DISCIPLINE RATHER THAN
KNOWLEDGE. SO THE TEACHERS SPEND MOST OF
THE TIME DISCIPLINING THEM OR HOLDING THEM IN CHECK OR
FINDING WAYS TO CHECK THEM RATHER THAN TEACH THEM.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH, THIS CONCEPT OF RACISM
AND PRACTICE. JUST THIS LAST POINT, RACISM
EXPRESSES ITSELF IN THREE BASIC WAYS SO THAT THE TEACHER KNOWS
THAT WHEN SHE OR HE IS TEACHING, THAT THEY BECOME AN AGENT OF THE
SYSTEM. BECAUSE RACISM IN THE SYSTEM,
IT IS NOT JUST AN ATTITUDE. IT IS FIRST AN IMPOSITION.
SECOND IT IS IDEOLOGY, AND THIRD, INSTITUTION
ARRANGEMENT. IT IS IMPOSITION BECAUSE IT IS
AN ACT OF FORCE AND VIOLENCE. THERE IS A CONQUEST INVOLVED,
THERE IS A DOMINATION INVOLVED. SOMEONE RULES THIS SOCIETY, AND
ITS NOT US. SO THOSE PEOPLE THAT RULE TEND
TO PREFER THEIR OWN COMMUNITY, TEND TO GIVE PRIVILEGE TO THEIR
OWN HISTORY AND CULTURE AND TEND TO DOMINATE, DEVALUE AND
DEGRADE PEOPLE FROM THESE OTHER CULTURES, AND IN VARIOUS WAYS,
PRACTICAL WAY. SECOND, IT IS IDEOLOGY.
IT IS INFORMAL IDEOLOGY, WHAT THE AVERAGE RACIST MIGHT
BELIEVE ABOUT INFERIORITY, BUT IT IS OFFICIAL IDEOLOGY THAT IS BACKED UP WITH
STATISTICS AND PSEUDO SCIENCE THAT THESE PEOPLE NOT ONLY
ARE DOMINATED, THEY DESERVE TO BE DOMINATED.
THEY DESERVE TO BE DEPRIVED. THEY DESERVE TO BE CONTROLLED.
THEY DESERVE WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE THEIR
WORST ENEMY, AND IT IS NOT OUR FAULT. IT IS NOT THAT WE
ENSLAVED THEM. IT IS NOT THAT WE PRACTICE
HUNDREDS OF YEARS OF SEGREGATION AND DEPRIVATION,
IT IS THEIR PROBLEM. WE MUST START LOOKING INTO
SOCIO BIOLOGY AND SEE HOW BIOLOGY, OF COURSE, DETERMINES
WHAT REALLY HAPPENS IN SOCIETY. I MEAN ALL KINDS OF THEORIES ARE
DEVELOPED. THIS IDEOLOGY IS PSEUDO
SCIENTIFIC, BUT IT SOUNDS STRONG WHEN INTELLECTUALS FROM
THE ACADEMIES PUT IT FORTH. BUT IT IS STILL FAKE BECAUSE ANY
TIME YOU LINK GENES AND CULTURE, YOU MAKE A PROBLEM.
YOU MAKE A PROBLEM FOR YOURSELF.
WE HAVE TO AVOID THAT. THE THIRD THING, OF COURSE, IS
INSTITUTION ARRANGEMENT. A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE TALK ABOUT
THIS FIRST, BUT I ALSO WANT TO NEVER FORGET THE IMPOSITION
THAT IS A FORCE AND VIOLENCE, THE CONQUEST OF THIS COUNTRY,
THEN ENSLAVEMENT OF AFRICANS, THE DISPOSSESSION OF THE
LATINO, THE BRUTAL LABOR EXPLOITATION OF ASIAN, ALL OF
THIS SET THE PACE AND POINT FOR WHERE WE ARE NOW.
OKAY. SO THIS INSTITUTION
ARRAIGNMENT MEANS STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES, INSTITUTED TO
MAINTAIN THE IMPOSITION, THAT'S DOMINANCE.
IMPOSITION MEANS DOMINATION. YOU ARE A DOMINANT PEOPLE.
THAT'S WHY DOMINATE AND SUBORDINATE GROUP.
TO MAINTAIN DOMINANCE AND TO PERPETUATE THE IDEOLOGY, OKAY.
SO WHAT HAPPENS IS INSTITUTION ARRANGEMENT HAPPENS IN THE
SCHOOLS, IN THE CHURCH, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IN THE JUSTICE
SYSTEM, CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, HOWEVER YOU WANT,
IN THE MEDIA, EVERY CRITICAL SPACE, THIS IDEOLOGY AND THIS
DOMINANCE OBTAIN. AND IT IS THROUGH THESE
STRUCTURES, THESE PROCESSES THAT THIS IDEOLOGY IS TAUGHT.
>>GIVEN THE UNITED STATES' ROLE IN A GLOBAL SOCIETY, WHAT DO WE
NEED TO DO AS AMERICANS TO BETTER PREPARE OURSELVES TO
DEAL WITH THIS GLOBAL VILLAGE THAT WE NOW LIVE IN?
>> WELL, I AM HOPING OUR PRESIDENT IS TRYING TO MOVE THE
COUNTRY PAST THAT. BUT IT WOULD TAKE A LOT, AND I
THINK THAT THIS ETHICS OF SHARING IS KEY TO THAT.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SHARING THE WORLD, YOU SEE, IT MEANS NOT
DOMINATING IT, NOT DICTATING TO THE WORLD, NOT BELIEVING WE CAN
BRING THEM DEMOCRACY THROUGH A MILITARY DICTATORSHIP.
WE ARE GOING TO FORCE THEM TO BE FREE.
YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THIS? OR TO BELIEVE THAT WE ARE THE
BEST AT EVERYTHING. KIND OF RACIAL AND RELIGIOUS
SUPERIORITY COMPLEXES. I THINK WE HAVE TO BACK UP AND,
I THINK WE NEED A MOVEMENT. I REALLY BELIEVE UNLESS THERE
IS A MOVEMENT, WHERE THE MASSES OF AMERICAN PEOPLE CERTAINLY
BLACK PEOPLE PLAY AGAIN, A KEY ROLE IN THIS, BUT ALSO NATIVE
AMERICANS, LATINOS, ASIANS, AND EUROPEAN, WILL COME
TOGETHER AND SAY HOW DO WE SHARE THE WORLD.
THAT'S THE QUESTION. HOW DO WE SHARE THE WORLD?
IT HAS TO BE AN ETHICAL ISSUE. SEE A LOT OF TIMES, LIKE FOR
EXAMPLE, THEY INVADE THE COUNTRY, THEY DON'T SAY IT WAS
ETHICALLY WRONG. THEY SAY IT WAS A WAR OF CHOICE.
WE MADE A MISTAKE. ABOUT WHAT?
YOU KILLED MILLIONS OF PEOPLE. THAT'S ALL YOU ARE GOING TO SAY,
WE MADE A MISTAKE. IT WASN'T WISE?
NO, IT WASN'T ETHICAL. IT WASN'T RIGHT, A IT WAS
ILLEGAL. IT WAS IMMORAL.
IT WAS UNJUSTIFIABLE. WE HAVE TO HAVE ETHICAL
DISCOURSE. WE HAVE A PROCEDURAL DEMOCRACY,
RIGHT. YOU KNOW, YOU -- IF YOU VOTE,
BUT YOU KNOW WE MIGHT GET BAD CHOICES, EVEN WHEN WE VOTE.
SAME WAY GOING TO COURT. I MEAN WE MIGHT HAVE BEEN
PROFILING, BROUGHT TO COURT, WE DON'T HAVE A JURY OF OUR PEERS,
A GOOD TRIAL OR FAIR TRIAL, MIGHT BE NO TRIAL AT ALL BECAUSE
THE CIRCUMSTANCE THAT BROUGHT YOU TO COURT WAS WRONG.
SO WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IS RIGHT AND WRONG, EVEN THOUGH
I KNOW THESE ARE DIFFICULT QUESTIONS.
WE AT LEAST MUST ENGAGE THEM. WE MUST THINK DEEPLY ABOUT
THEM. IF WE THINK DEEPLY ABOUT THEM,
THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE TO SHARING THE WORLD WE ALL LIVE IN
AND LOVE. AND THAT SHARING AS AN ETHICS OF
SHARING BEGINS, AS I SAID BEFORE, WITH THESE FOUR POINTS
QUICKLY, MUTUAL RESPECT FOR EACH PEOPLE AND CULTURE AS
UNIQUE AND EQUALLY VALUABLE WAY OF BEING HUMAN IN THE WORLD.
SECOND, MUTUAL RESPECT FOR EACH PEOPLE'S RIGHT AND
RESPONSIBILITY TO SPEAK THEIR OWN SPECIAL CULTURAL TRUTH, AND
MAKE OWN UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO THE FLOW OF HUMAN HISTORY.
THIRD, MUTUAL COMMITMENT TO THE CONSTANT SEARCH FOR COMMON
GROUND IN MIDST OF OUR DIVERSITY. AND, FINALLY,
MUTUAL COMMITMENT TO MANY TO THE ETHICS OF SHARING WHICH IS A
SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR BUILDING THE GOOD WORLD WE ALL
WANT AND DESERVE TO LIVE IN. BUT ALL OF IT, YOU WILL NOTICE
BEGINS WITH RESPECT FOR THE OTHER.