Our Pledge
It is our pledge to make a lasting contribution to all that is finest and best in America, so that her heritage of Freedom and Progress will be infinitely enriched by the integration of all people, regardless of racial, creedal, or national origin, into the economic, social, cultural, civic, and political life of our country and thus achieve the glorious destiny of a true and unfettered democracy.
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Our Motto
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The Legacy
I leave You Love, Love builds.
It is positive and helpful. It is more beneficial than hate. I Leave You Hope. The Negro’s growth will be great in the years to come. Yesterday, our ancestors endured the degradation of slavery, yet they retained their dignity. I Leave You the Challenge of Developing Confidence in One Another. As long as Negroes are hemmed into racial blocks of prejudice and pressure, it will be necessary for them to band together for economic betterment. I Leave You a Thirst for Education. Knowledge is the prime need of the hour. I Leave You a Respect for the Use of Power. We live in a world that respects power above all things. Power, intelligently directed, can lead to more freedom. Unwisely directed, it can be a dreadful, destructive force. |
I Leave You Faith.
Faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible. Faith in God is the greatest power, but great too is faith in one’s self. I Leave You Racial Dignity. I want Negroes to maintain their human dignity at all costs. We, as Negroes, must recognize that we are the custodians as well as the heirs of a great civilization. I Leave You a Desire to Live Harmoniously with Your Fellow Man. The problem of color is worldwide. It is founded in Africa and Asia, Europe, and South America. I appeal to American Negroes – both North and South, East and West – to recognize their common problems and unite to solve them. I Leave You, Finally, A Responsibility to Our Youth. The world around us really belongs to youth, for youth will take over its future management. Our children must never lose their zeal for building a better world. |