,
said:
"We are going to set the tone for the black liberation struggle in
this country. . . . Black people in this country have no permanent
friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. . . . I think
we've reached the point in black America where we've completely given
up on the mass demonstrations, sit-ins and boycotts. We've come to the
basic conclusion that America has no conscience. Anybody who still
appeals to what they think is a conscience is either stupid or
frustrated. The only possible avenue for the achievement of equal
rights for all in this country is through the exertion of political
power. We have actual power, and even greater potential power, more
than we've ever had in history."
As Representative Clay maintains, striving for racial change through
an appeal to conscience has been found woefully inadequate. The resort
to physical force has not been followed very often and, when it has,
it has been used sporadically. To succeed, it obviously requires its
own kind of mass power base to bring about lasting results. The
creation of genuine black political power which was preached in 1966
is only being achieved now.
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