Muhammad Ali “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” — Muhammad Ali Ali risked his title, his freedom and his fortune for his beliefs. He told schoolchildren that nothing great comes to those afraid to try.
W.E.B. Du Bois “Either the United States will destroy ignorance or ignorance will destroy the United States.” — W.E.B. Du Bois Du Bois challenged the nation to face truth. His words remind us that ignorance is democracy’s greatest enemy. Wear the history: W.E.B. Du Bois — from the Black Knowledge Wear collection.
Booker T. Washington “It is not possible for one man to hold another man down in the ditch without staying down there with him.” — Booker T. Washington Washington’s insight links justice to shared humanity. Oppression, he warned, harms both the oppressed and the oppressor. Wear the history: Booker T. Washington Coin — from the […]
George Washington Carver “Fear of something is at the root of hate for others, and hate within will ultimately destroy the hater.” — George Washington Carver Carver believed love and knowledge were stronger than fear. His wisdom speaks to healing through understanding.
Richard Wright “I would hurl words into this darkness and wait for an echo… I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight…” — Richard Wright Wright left the South with little more than words and a hunger to be heard. He turned that hunger into books that made America listen.
Marcus Garvey “If you have no confidence in self you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence you have won even before you have started.” — Marcus Garvey Garvey taught a people told they were less to believe in themselves first. To him, confidence was the first race you had to win. […]
Martin Luther King Jr. “Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” — Martin Luther King Jr. King believed education must nurture both the mind and the spirit. His words define learning as a moral pursuit. Wear the history: Martin Luther King Jr. — from the Black Knowledge Wear collection.
Mary McLeod Bethune “The Freedom Gates are half-ajar. We must pry them fully open.” — Mary McLeod Bethune In her last will and testament, Bethune left her people a charge. The doors to freedom had begun to open, and the next generation had to open them all the way.
Mahalia Jackson “Blues are the songs of despair. Gospel songs are the songs of hope. When you sing gospel you have a feeling there’s a cure for what’s wrong.” — Mahalia Jackson Mahalia sang gospel because it carried hope where the blues carried despair. Her voice told millions that there is a cure for what’s […]
Sidney Poitier “With knowledge you can grasp tight a belief: that you can be better, that the world can be better.” — Sidney Poitier Poitier wrote these words in letters to his great-granddaughter. He believed knowledge opens the door to a better self and a better world.