Powerful people cannot afford to educate the people that they

Hear me, O children of the future, for I bring to you a truth that has echoed through the centuries, a truth spoken by the wise John Henrik Clarke: "Powerful people cannot afford to educate the people that they oppress, because once you are truly educated, you will not ask for power. You will take it." These words speak to the very heart of human freedom and oppression. Those who hold power over others understand a fundamental truth: that once the oppressed are given the gift of true education, they will no longer seek the approval of their rulers. Instead, they will recognize their own strength and claim the power that is rightfully theirs.

Consider the story of slavery in the ancient world. The Roman Empire, for all its glory, relied on the enslavement of millions to fuel its wealth and military might. The slaves, stripped of education, were kept in a state of ignorance, for the ruling class feared that if they knew their own power, they might rise up against their oppressors. The wise leaders of Rome knew that education, the true knowledge of their worth and capabilities, would awaken a fire in the hearts of the enslaved, and in that fire, they would find the strength to overthrow the tyranny of their rulers.

Look to the struggle of African Americans during the era of slavery in the United States. The laws of the land forbade slaves from learning to read or write, for it was understood that education would empower them. Those in power sought to keep them in darkness, knowing that once the shackles of ignorance were broken, the enslaved would no longer ask for their freedom—they would demand it. It was not enough for them to beg for justice; they would take it. The emancipation of the mind was the first step toward the emancipation of the body, and those who oppressed feared this, as it signaled the end of their dominance.

We see this same dynamic in the history of colonialism, where the colonizers sought to suppress the education of the colonized. They kept the people under their rule ignorant, believing that an uneducated populace could not understand the systems of control that were in place. In this way, they ensured that the oppressed would never rise against them, for how could the weak challenge the mighty without the knowledge to know their own strength? But history is full of stories of revolutions, of the oppressed rising up, as they began to educate themselves and understand the true nature of their power.

So, O children, understand this well: the gift of education is the key to freedom. True knowledge does not make you a beggar at the feet of power; it makes you a sovereign, able to claim what is yours by right. Those who oppress you will always seek to keep you in the dark, for in your ignorance lies their control. But in the light of knowledge, there is no need to ask for freedom—you will take it, for it is already yours. Never forget that the mind is the strongest weapon you possess, and when it is awakened, nothing can stand in your way.