John Henrik Clarke Quotes

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.

We must canonize our own saints, create our own martyrs … black men and women who have made their distinct contributions to our racial history.

Whenever societies do well, they believe that there is something in their cultural DNA that made it happen.

I do consider myself part of black history.

Black History Month is a poignant time for the entire country, but particularly the African American community.

Black youth, in general, have no understanding of our past. Young black people who don't know who Martin Luther King Jr. was, don't know nothin'.

Be as proud of your race today as our as our fathers were in days of yore. We have beautiful history, and we shall create another in the future that will astonish the world.

Pride in one's own race - and that does not imply contempt for other races - is also a normal and healthy sentiment. I have never regarded the Chinese or the Japanese as being inferior to ourselves. They belong to ancient civilizations, and I admit freely that their past history is superior to our own. They have the right to be proud of their past, just as we have the right to be proud of the civilization to which we belong. Indeed, I believe the more steadfast the Chinese and the Japanese remain in their pride of race, the easier I shall find it to get on with them.

I read every one of the books on the shelf marked American Negro Literature. I became a nationalist, a colour nationalist, through the writings of men and women who lived a world away from me.

As Africans Americans we often think about the tragic stories associated with our lineage, but there are a lot of triumphs. Traveling helps you learn about other aspects of our history, like the story of Christ the Redeemer. It's empowering and inspiring.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to put that out there so blatantly, so that before you listen to me you know that I'm Asian. But I thought it was sort of cool to embrace the Korean half of me, which I love.

There's no question that I'm African-American. OK? I'm a black man. We're not going to escape that.

In 'The Girl Who Chased Away Sorrow,' part of the 'Dear America' series, I took my childhood bravery and stubbornness and put that at the core of the Navajo girl, Sarah Nita. It helped me to identify with her survival and to write about her courageous journey and that of her people.

There are a great many colored people who are ashamed of the cake-walk, but I think they ought to be proud of it.

Mostly I'm proud to be an African-American woman, but I'm glad I have a universal look as well.

When the culture is strong, you've got this consistency where black people can grow up in these places with this voice just resonating about our special-ness in the universe. And I always say you're in trouble if you get too far away from that core that grounds you.

The blues is not the creation of a crushed-spirited people. It is the product of a forward-looking, upward-striving people.

I love 'The Autobiography of Malcolm X.' That was like the only black book we read in high school.

As a boy, I felt ashamed of being Mexican. I'd say I was Hawaiian.

When I got near teen age, I was so happy with my friends and the African-American culture that I couldn't imagine not being part of it.

I have never denied my background or my culture. I have taught my child to embrace her Mexican heritage, to love my first language, Spanish, to learn about Mexican history, music, folk art, food, and even the Mexican candy I grew up with.

Is it wrong for me to love my own? Is it wicked for me because my skin is red? Because I am Sioux? Because I was born where my father lived? Because I would die for my people and my country?

I'm a sponge for historical images of black people and black history on film.

I'm grounded in who I am, and I am a confident black man. A confident, Nigerian, black, chocolate man. I'm proud of my heritage, and no man can take that away from me.

I relate to both my Caucasian side and my African side, and I love that.