[Intro]
The civil rights movement could not possibly been achieved by just black people. Many Native Americans gave their lives for the cause. Many White Americans gave their lives for the cause. Many Hispanic Americans gave their lives for the cause. Many Asian Americans gave their lives for the cause. Americans gave their lives for the cause. Dr. Martin Luther Kings gave his life.
The Declaration of Independence reads: We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal. They are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
All men...are created equal
These words gave us power. They gave us a legal weapon. I don't' know if the founding fathers had any idea what effect those words were gonna have on the outcome of our nation. Many of them were slave holders themselves, but thank God that they wrote them in The Declaration of Independence, for the United States of America
[Poem]
I love being Black
I love being called Black
I love being an American
I love being a Black American
But as a Black man in this country I think it’s a shame
That every few years we get a change of name
Since those first ships arrived here from Africa that came across the sea
There were already Black men in this country who were free
And as for those who came over on those terrible boats
They were called "nigga" and "slave"
And told what to do and how to behave
And then master started trippin'
Doing his midnight tippin', down to the slave shacks
Where he forced he and Great-Great Grandma to be together
And if Great-Great Grandpa protested, he got tarred and feathered
And at the same time, the Black men in the country who were free
Were mating with the tribes like the Apache and the Cherokee
And as a result of all that, we’re a parade of every shade
And as this late day and age, you can be sure
They're ain't too many of us in this country whose bloodline is pure
But, according to a geological, geographical, genealogy study published in Time Magazine
The Black African people were the first on the scene
So for what it’s worth, the Black African people were the first on earth
And through migration, our characteristics started to change and rearrange
To adapt to whatever climate we migrated to
And that’s how I became me, and you became you
So, if we gonna go back, let’s go all the way back
And if Adam was Black and Eve was Black
Then that kind of makes it a natural fact that everybody in America's an African American
Everybody in Europe is an African European
Everybody in the Orient is an African Asian and so on and so on
That is, if the origin of man is what we’re gonna go on
And if one drop of Black blood makes you Black like they say
Then everybody’s Black anyway
So quit trying to change my identity
I’m already who I was meant to be
I’m a Black American, born and raised
And brother James Brown wrote a wonderful phrase
“Say it loud, I’m Black and I’m proud! Say it loud, I’m Black and I’m proud!”
'Cause I’m proud to be Black and I ain't never lived in Africa
And ’cause my Great-Great Granddaddy on my Daddy’s side did
Don’t mean I want to go back
Now I have nothing against Africa
It’s where some of the most beautiful places and people in the world are found
But I've been blessed to go a lot of places in this world
And if you ask me where I choose to live, I pick America, hands down
Now, by and by, we were called Negroes, and after while, that name was banished
Anyway, Negro is just how you say ‘black’ in Spanish
Then, we were called colored, but shit, everybody’s one color or another
And I think it’s a shame that we hold that against each other
And it seems like we reverted back to a time when being called Black was an insult
Even if it was another Black man who said it, a fight would result
'Cause we’d been so brainwashed that Black was wrong
'Til even the yellow niggas and black niggas couldn't get along
But then, came the 1960's
When we struggled and died to be called equal and Black
And we walked with pride with our heads held high and our shoulders pushed back
And Black was beautiful
But, I guess that wasn't good enough
'Cause now here they come with some other stuff
Who comes up with this shit anyway?
Was it one, or a group of niggas just sitting around one day?
Feelin' a little insecure again about being called Black and decided that African American sounded a little more exotic
Well, I think you were being a little more neurotic
It’s that same mentality that got “Amos and Andy” put off the air, 'cause they were embarrassed about the way the character’s spoke
And as a result of that action, a lot of wonderful Black actors ended up broke
When we were just laughin' and have fun about ourselves
So I say, “fuck you if you can’t take a joke.”
You didn’t see "The Beverly Hillbillies” being protested by white folks
And if you think, that cause you think, that being called African American sets all Black people’s minds at ease
Since we affectionately call each other “nigga”, I affectionately say to you
“Nigga please”
How come I didn't get the chance to vote on who I’d like to be?
Who gave you the right to make that decision for me?
I ain't under your rule or in your dominion
And I am entitled to my own opinion
Now there are some African Americans here,
But they recently moved here from places like Kenya, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Zaire
But, not a brother whose family has lived in the country for generations
Occupying space in all the locations
New York, Miami, L.A., Detroit, Chicago
Even if he’s wearing a dashiki and sporting an afro
And, if you go to Africa in search of your race
You’ll find out quick, you’re not an African American
You’re just a Black American in Africa, takin' up space
Why you keep trying to attach yourself to a continent
Where even if you got the chance to go and you went
Most people there would even claim you as one of them
As a pure bred daughter or son of them
Your heritage is right here now
No matter what you call yourself or what you say
And a lot of people died to make it that way
And if you think America is the leader on inequality and suffering and grievin'
How come there so many people comin' and so few leavin'?
Rather than all this ‘find fault with America’ shit you promotin'
If you want to change something, use your privilege
Get to the polls! Commence to votin'
All the wonderful Black Americans who served in the Armed Forces and gave their lives in all the wars.
They didn't do that for Timbuktu or Cape Town or Kenya
They died for Mississippi and Alabama and Georgia and Louisiana, Texas and Virginia, need I continue
And if you don't acknowledge that, if you don't' claim that, then you're playing right into the hand of the white supremacist and the Ku Klux Klan
Who claim that they own this land
We went through the Civil Right movement
Dr. Martin Luther King gave his life so you could have equal status
We withstood the dogs, the fire hoses, the beatings, the bombings, the burnings the maimings the murders and everything else they through at us
God knows we've earned the right to be called American Americans and be free at last
And rather than you movin' forward progress, you're dwelling in the past
We've struggled too long; we've come too far
Instead of focusing on who we were, let’s be proud of who we are
We are the only people whose name is always a trend
When is this shit gonna end?
Look at all the different colors of our skin
Black is not our color, it’s our core
It’s what we been livin' and fightin' and dyin' for
But if you choose to be called African American and that’s your preference,
Then I'll give you that reference
But I know on this issue I don’t stand alone on my own
And if I do, then let me be me
And I'd appreciate it if when you see me, you'd say
“There goes a man who says it loud
I’m Black. I'm Black. I'm a Black American, and I'm proud."
Cause I love being an American
And I love being Black
I love being called Black
Yeah, I said it
And I don't take it back
The civil rights movement could not possibly been achieved by just black people. Many Native Americans gave their lives for the cause. Many White Americans gave their lives for the cause. Many Hispanic Americans gave their lives for the cause. Many Asian Americans gave their lives for the cause. Americans gave their lives for the cause. Dr. Martin Luther Kings gave his life.
The Declaration of Independence reads: We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal. They are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
All men...are created equal
These words gave us power. They gave us a legal weapon. I don't' know if the founding fathers had any idea what effect those words were gonna have on the outcome of our nation. Many of them were slave holders themselves, but thank God that they wrote them in The Declaration of Independence, for the United States of America
[Poem]
I love being Black
I love being called Black
I love being an American
I love being a Black American
But as a Black man in this country I think it’s a shame
That every few years we get a change of name
Since those first ships arrived here from Africa that came across the sea
There were already Black men in this country who were free
And as for those who came over on those terrible boats
They were called "nigga" and "slave"
And told what to do and how to behave
And then master started trippin'
Doing his midnight tippin', down to the slave shacks
Where he forced he and Great-Great Grandma to be together
And if Great-Great Grandpa protested, he got tarred and feathered
And at the same time, the Black men in the country who were free
Were mating with the tribes like the Apache and the Cherokee
And as a result of all that, we’re a parade of every shade
And as this late day and age, you can be sure
They're ain't too many of us in this country whose bloodline is pure
But, according to a geological, geographical, genealogy study published in Time Magazine
The Black African people were the first on the scene
So for what it’s worth, the Black African people were the first on earth
And through migration, our characteristics started to change and rearrange
To adapt to whatever climate we migrated to
And that’s how I became me, and you became you
So, if we gonna go back, let’s go all the way back
And if Adam was Black and Eve was Black
Then that kind of makes it a natural fact that everybody in America's an African American
Everybody in Europe is an African European
Everybody in the Orient is an African Asian and so on and so on
That is, if the origin of man is what we’re gonna go on
And if one drop of Black blood makes you Black like they say
Then everybody’s Black anyway
So quit trying to change my identity
I’m already who I was meant to be
I’m a Black American, born and raised
And brother James Brown wrote a wonderful phrase
“Say it loud, I’m Black and I’m proud! Say it loud, I’m Black and I’m proud!”
'Cause I’m proud to be Black and I ain't never lived in Africa
And ’cause my Great-Great Granddaddy on my Daddy’s side did
Don’t mean I want to go back
Now I have nothing against Africa
It’s where some of the most beautiful places and people in the world are found
But I've been blessed to go a lot of places in this world
And if you ask me where I choose to live, I pick America, hands down
Now, by and by, we were called Negroes, and after while, that name was banished
Anyway, Negro is just how you say ‘black’ in Spanish
Then, we were called colored, but shit, everybody’s one color or another
And I think it’s a shame that we hold that against each other
And it seems like we reverted back to a time when being called Black was an insult
Even if it was another Black man who said it, a fight would result
'Cause we’d been so brainwashed that Black was wrong
'Til even the yellow niggas and black niggas couldn't get along
But then, came the 1960's
When we struggled and died to be called equal and Black
And we walked with pride with our heads held high and our shoulders pushed back
And Black was beautiful
But, I guess that wasn't good enough
'Cause now here they come with some other stuff
Who comes up with this shit anyway?
Was it one, or a group of niggas just sitting around one day?
Feelin' a little insecure again about being called Black and decided that African American sounded a little more exotic
Well, I think you were being a little more neurotic
It’s that same mentality that got “Amos and Andy” put off the air, 'cause they were embarrassed about the way the character’s spoke
And as a result of that action, a lot of wonderful Black actors ended up broke
When we were just laughin' and have fun about ourselves
So I say, “fuck you if you can’t take a joke.”
You didn’t see "The Beverly Hillbillies” being protested by white folks
And if you think, that cause you think, that being called African American sets all Black people’s minds at ease
Since we affectionately call each other “nigga”, I affectionately say to you
“Nigga please”
How come I didn't get the chance to vote on who I’d like to be?
Who gave you the right to make that decision for me?
I ain't under your rule or in your dominion
And I am entitled to my own opinion
Now there are some African Americans here,
But they recently moved here from places like Kenya, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Zaire
But, not a brother whose family has lived in the country for generations
Occupying space in all the locations
New York, Miami, L.A., Detroit, Chicago
Even if he’s wearing a dashiki and sporting an afro
And, if you go to Africa in search of your race
You’ll find out quick, you’re not an African American
You’re just a Black American in Africa, takin' up space
Why you keep trying to attach yourself to a continent
Where even if you got the chance to go and you went
Most people there would even claim you as one of them
As a pure bred daughter or son of them
Your heritage is right here now
No matter what you call yourself or what you say
And a lot of people died to make it that way
And if you think America is the leader on inequality and suffering and grievin'
How come there so many people comin' and so few leavin'?
Rather than all this ‘find fault with America’ shit you promotin'
If you want to change something, use your privilege
Get to the polls! Commence to votin'
All the wonderful Black Americans who served in the Armed Forces and gave their lives in all the wars.
They didn't do that for Timbuktu or Cape Town or Kenya
They died for Mississippi and Alabama and Georgia and Louisiana, Texas and Virginia, need I continue
And if you don't acknowledge that, if you don't' claim that, then you're playing right into the hand of the white supremacist and the Ku Klux Klan
Who claim that they own this land
We went through the Civil Right movement
Dr. Martin Luther King gave his life so you could have equal status
We withstood the dogs, the fire hoses, the beatings, the bombings, the burnings the maimings the murders and everything else they through at us
God knows we've earned the right to be called American Americans and be free at last
And rather than you movin' forward progress, you're dwelling in the past
We've struggled too long; we've come too far
Instead of focusing on who we were, let’s be proud of who we are
We are the only people whose name is always a trend
When is this shit gonna end?
Look at all the different colors of our skin
Black is not our color, it’s our core
It’s what we been livin' and fightin' and dyin' for
But if you choose to be called African American and that’s your preference,
Then I'll give you that reference
But I know on this issue I don’t stand alone on my own
And if I do, then let me be me
And I'd appreciate it if when you see me, you'd say
“There goes a man who says it loud
I’m Black. I'm Black. I'm a Black American, and I'm proud."
Cause I love being an American
And I love being Black
I love being called Black
Yeah, I said it
And I don't take it back
( Smokey Robinson )
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