I am not afraid of being sued by white businessmen. In fact, I should welcome such a law suit.
Carter G. WoodsonRead
If the white man wants to hold on to it, let him do so; but the Negro, so far as he is able, should develop and carry out a program of his own.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of self-empowerment and self-determination for African Americans.
Carter G. Woodson advocates for Black individuals to take charge of their own destiny rather than relying on the existing structures held by white society. He encourages the development of independent programs that reflect their needs and aspirations, underscoring the importance of self-reliance and community growth in the face of systemic challenges.
Themes
Self-EmpowermentIndependenceCommunityChangeDetermination
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about community development, one might say, 'As Woodson suggested, we must develop our programs to reflect our community's needs.'
More from Carter G. Woodson
All quotes →If Liberia has failed, then, it is no evidence of the failure of the Negro in government. It is merely evidence of the failure of slavery.
Carter G. WoodsonRead
If the Negroes are to remain forever removed from the producing atmosphere, and the present discrimination continues, there will be nothing left for them to do.
Carter G. WoodsonRead
Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.
Carter G. WoodsonRead
The different ness of races, moreover, is no evidence of superiority or of inferiority. This merely indicates that each race has certain gifts which the others do not possess.
Carter G. WoodsonRead
This assumption of Negro leadership in the ghetto, then, must not be confined to matters of religion, education, and social uplift; it must deal with such fundamental forces in life as make these things possible.
Carter G. WoodsonRead
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