An organization which claims to be working for the needs of a

Hear the fiery and unyielding words of Stokely Carmichael, warrior of justice and herald of a new vision: “An organization which claims to be working for the needs of a community—as SNCC does—must work to provide that community with a position of strength from which to make its voice heard. This is the significance of black power beyond the slogan.” In these words we hear not the shallow cry of a moment, but the deep thunder of history itself. Carmichael, born in struggle and sharpened in the fires of the Civil Rights Movement, reminds us that slogans alone cannot save a people—only strength, organized and directed, can give birth to lasting freedom.

He speaks of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), an organization that fought on the front lines of civil rights battles in the 1960s. But his teaching rises beyond its moment, to all who labor for the dignity of their people. To claim to serve a community while leaving it weak, voiceless, and dependent is no service at all. True service builds strength within the oppressed, so that they may speak in their own name, demand their own rights, and shape their own destiny. Without strength, a voice is drowned; with strength, even whispers become thunder across the land.

The cry of Black Power was often misunderstood as anger, as vengeance, as separation. But Carmichael explains here its true heart: it was not a cry for domination, but for empowerment. It meant building schools where ignorance had been forced, creating businesses where opportunity was denied, forming unions, churches, and councils where voices could unite. It was the recognition that dignity must be rooted in power—the power to defend, the power to decide, the power to speak and be heard. Without such a foundation, freedom remains a dream spoken by others, never truly owned by the people themselves.

History gives us many mirrors for this truth. When Gandhi led India in its struggle against empire, he did not rely on words alone. He taught his people to spin their own cloth, to march in salt protests, to unite in noncooperation. These were not empty gestures; they gave the people a position of strength, showing that they could live without their oppressors’ chains. So too did Carmichael declare that communities must not beg for justice from weakness, but demand it from the seat of their own strength.

Consider also the freedmen after the Civil War. Many rejoiced in emancipation, yet without land, without schools, without protection, they remained bound in new chains of poverty and fear. Only when they organized into churches, mutual aid societies, and later movements for civil rights did they find strength enough to challenge injustice. Freedom declared is not freedom secured; only organized strength can hold it fast. This is the heart of Carmichael’s warning: power must be built, or the victories of today will be lost tomorrow.

Understand then, O seeker, that every slogan, every chant, every cry for liberation must be followed by the hard labor of building positions of strength. To speak of justice while remaining weak is to speak into the void. But when a people builds schools, businesses, alliances, and self-respect, their voice shakes the earth, and no power can silence it. The true meaning of Black Power, as Carmichael revealed, was not a shout, but a strategy.

Let this be your lesson: if you would serve a people, do not make them dependent on your charity. Instead, help them build their own strength—teach, organize, unite, empower. For the goal of liberation is not to be spoken for, but to speak for oneself. And in your own life, do the same: build your strength, cultivate your skills, unite with others, and let your voice rise not from weakness, but from power.

Thus is the teaching of Stokely Carmichael: strength is the foundation of freedom, and empowerment is the true meaning behind every slogan. Only when the weak become strong can they lift their voices and shape the destiny that was always theirs. This is the lesson not just for one people, but for all who seek justice across the earth.