Whether I Am Or Am Not A

You Want To Shut Up Every Negro Who Has The Courage To Stand Up And Fight For The Rights Of His People, For The Rights Of Workers, And I Have Been On Many A Picket Line For The Steelworkers Too.

I've Learned That My People Are Not The Only Ones Oppressed... I Have Sung My Songs All Over The World And Everywhere Found That Some Common Bond Makes The People Of All Lands Take To Negro Songs As Their Own.

In Fact, Because Of This Deep Desire For Peace, The Ruling Class Leaders Of This Land, From 1945 On, Stepped Up The Hysteria And Propaganda To Drive Into American Minds The False Notion That Danger Threatened Them From The East.

Sometimes Great Injustices May Be Inflicted On The Minority When The Majority Is In The Pursuit Of A Great And Just Cause.

But The Deep Desire For Peace Remained With The American People.