A Classic Is A Book That Doesn't

Oppression Costs The Oppressor Too Much If The Oppressed Stands Up And Protests. The Protest Need Not Be Merely Physical-the Throwing Of Stones And Bullets-if It Is Mental, Spiritual; If It Expresses Itself In Silent, Persistent Dissatisfaction, The Cost To The Oppressor Is Terrific.

It Is The Wind And The Rain, O God, The Cold And The Storm That Make This Earth Of Yours To Blossom And Bear Its Fruit. So In Our Lives It Is Storm And Stress And Hurt And Suffering That Make Real Men And Women Bring The World's Work To Its Highest Perfection.

We Black Men Seem The Sole Oasis Of Simple Faith And Reverence In A Dusty Desert Of Dollars And Smartness.

Now Is The Accepted Time, Not Tomorrow, Not Some More Convenient Season. It Is Today That Our Best Work Can Be Done.

Little Of Beauty Has America Given The World Save The Rude Grandeur God Himself Stamped On Her Bosom; The Human Spirit In This New World Has Expressed Itself In Vigor And Ingenuity Rather Than In Beauty.