“The question invariably arises as to what, in fact, is the nature of the civil rights movement today? And I am one who claims that it is, at once, a movement for integration into the American society, as it now exists, and simultaneously a revolutionary movement. If one were to ask the average Negro what it is he wants, with the exception of Mr. Baldwin and a few other writers who, very often, are not in very close touch with the Negro community themselves, the Negro will say what any minority says if it uses the word integration.”
About This Quote
Negro Revolution in 1965" Speech at The Center for Democratic Institutions Santa Barbara, California - Autumn 1964
More from Bayard Rustin
“Segregation, separation, according to Jesus, is the basis of continuous violence.”
“War is wrong. Conscription is a concomitant of modern war. Thus, conscription for so vast…”
“Many Negroes see mass violence coming. Having lived in a society in which church, school,…”
“An increasingly militant group has it in mind to demand now, with violence if necessary,…”