“We have been educated into believing someone else's concept of the deity, and someone else's standard of beauty. You have the right to practice any religion and politics in a way that best suits your freedom, your dignity, and your understanding. And once you do that, you don't apologize."
-- John Henrik Clarke

​Stop giving irrelevant people the period to your sentence. We understand we are not the minority. They are the dominant society due to unfair practices and labor. They are still shouting about diversity but will not allow you to wear your hair in a natural way you want. Your hair is beautiful and they can't define you.

“If you expect the present day school system to give history to you, you are dreaming. This, we have to do ourselves. The Chinese didn't go out in the world and beg people to teach Chinese studies or let them teach Chinese studies. The Japanese didn't do that either. People don't beg other people to restore their history; they do it themselves.”
​-- John Henrik Clarke

It is time for us to do for ourselves. If you are a parent, now is the time to get involved in your children's academic affairs. Most educators want to work with you because they care about your child. So step up. Stay on your kids.
  
“It is unfortunate that so much of the history of Africa has been written by conquerors, foreigners, missionaries and adventurers. The Egyptians left the best record of their history written by local writers.”
-- John Henrik Clarke
​
The number one reason why we tell our own stories and make our own opportunities come to us.

“I want to make it clear that the black race did not come to the United States culturally empty-handed. The role and importance of ethnic history is in how well it teaches a people to use their own talents, take pride in their own history and love their own memories.” -- John Henrik Clarke

I smell the fragrance of a new Black Renaissance mixed with heavy droplets of Black Wall Street 

“Racists will always call you a racist when you identify their racism. To love yourself now - is a form of racism. We are the only people who are criticized for loving ourselves. and white people think when you love yourself you hate them. No, when I love myself they become irrelevant to me.” 
-- John Henrik Clarke
Oh well, continue loving thyself.  

“The acceptance of the facts of African-American history and the African-American historian as a legitimate part of the academic community did not come easily. Slavery ended and left its false images of black people intact.”
-- John Henrik Clarke

“If we are going to be masters of our destiny, we must be masters of the ideas that influence that destiny."-- John Henrik Clarke
THIS!!!!

“It is too often forgotten that when the Europeans gained enough maritime skills and gunpowder to conquer most of the world, they not only colonized the bulk of the world's people but they colonized the interpretation of history itself. Human history was rewritten to favor them at the expense of other people. The roots of modern racism can be traced to this conquest and colonization.”
-- John Henrik Clarke

“When the early Europeans first met Africans, at the crossroads of history, it was a respectful meeting and the Africans were not slaves. Their nations were old before Europe was born.”
-- John Henrik Clarke
                              History lessons 101!

“She was not a white woman. She was not a Greek... Until the emergence of the doctrine of white superiority, Cleopatra was generally pictured as a distinctly African woman, dark in color.”
-- John Henrik Clarke

Would you believe me if I told you they are still doing this? She was an African woman.

“We will have taken one giant step forward when we face this reality: Powerful people never teach powerless people how to take their power away from them.”
-- John Henrik Clarke

​“Nothing the European mind ever devised was meant to do anything but to facilitate the European's control over the world.”
-- John Henrik Clarke
​                                      Ouch the truth hurts!

“I only debate my equals. All others I teach.”
-- John Henrik Clarke

“Everything that touches YOUR life, must be an instrument of YOUR liberation or tossed into the trash cans of HISTORY”
-- John Henrik Clarke

“White people think when you love yourself you hate them. No, when I love myself they become irrelevant to me.-- John Henrik Clarke” 
Oh well, continue loving thyself.  

“Most human behavior is controlled by images. Image is a factor in how people look at themselves and what they use to reflect themselves. The control of images is a major factor in world power.-” ― John Henrik Clarke

“I saw no African people in the printed and illustrated Sunday school lessons. I began to suspect at this early age that someone had distorted the image of my people. My long search for the true history of African people the world over began.”
-- John Henrik Clarke

Image and representation was a huge part of Dr. Clarke's appetite. 

The people and the cultures of what is known as Africa are older than the word 'Africa.' According to most records, old and new, Africans are the oldest people on the face of the earth. The people now called Africans not only influenced the Greeks and the Romans, they influenced the early world before there was a place called Europe.-” ― John Henrik Clarke

History lessons again!

​“To be black and beautiful means nothing in this world unless we are black and powerful.”
-- John Henrik Clarke

“Powerful people cannot afford to educate the people that they oppress, because once you are truly educated, you will not ask for power. You will take it.”
-- John Henrik Clarke

​Power...power...power! The most respected thing. 

“Religion is the organization of spirituality into something that became the hand maiden of conquerors. Nearly all religions were brought to people and imposed on people by conquerors, and used as the framework to control their minds.”
-- John Henrik Clarke

Yes I agree that religion was used to destroy and control. Sadly it's still true. If the shoe fits, yes this quote is for you.