H. Rap Brown Quotes
Born: October 4, 1943
H. Rap Brown, a formidable voice of the Black Power movement, transformed personal conviction into a philosophy of unyielding resilience. As a civil rights activist and former chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, he famously declared that violence was as American as cherry pie, challenging systemic oppression with raw, unapologetic focus. His legacy endures as a testament to the power of clarity under fire—a call to sharpen one’s mind against adversity. Brown’s quotes resonate because they strip away pretense, urging individuals to channel struggle into steely determination. For those seeking fortitude in turbulent times, his words offer a blueprint for unwavering purpose.
H. Rap Brown Quotes (35)
"See, justice is a joke in this country, and it stinks of its hypocricy."
— H. Rap Brown"My name is Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, the former H. Rap Brown. I am a devoted servant of Allah, and an unwavering devotee to His cause. For more than 30 years, I have been tormented and persecuted by my enemies for reasons of race and belief."
— H. Rap Brown"I seek truth over a lie; I seek justice over injustice; I seek righteousness over the rewards of evildoers, and I love Allah more than I love the state."
— H. Rap Brown"I say violence is necessary. It is as American as cherry pie."
— H. Rap Brown"There has to be a social commitment, a social consciousness that joins men together. On the basis of their coming together, they do not transgress against themselves and they do not transgress against others."
— H. Rap Brown"An old African leader says about leadership, he says that leadership should never be shared; it should always remain in the hands of the dispossessed people. We will lead the revolution."
— H. Rap Brown"Look at the newborn baby. It struggles to breathe after living in the womb. And yet, growth comes as a result of struggle. Even when we talk about jihad. We need to attach consciousness to struggle. This struggle has to be both individual and collective."
— H. Rap Brown"But black people fall for that same argument, and they go around talking about law breakers. We did not make the laws in this country. We are neither morally nor legally confined to those laws. Those laws that keep them up, keep us down."
— H. Rap Brown"You've got to stop dividing yourselves. You got to organize."
— H. Rap Brown"You see, the poverty program for the last five years have been buy-off programs."
— H. Rap Brown"Yes, politics IS war without bloodshed; and war is an extension of those politics."
— H. Rap Brown"We talking about revolution because that's the era that you're caught in."
— H. Rap Brown"We happen to be the vanguard of that revolutionary struggle because we are the most dispossessed."
— H. Rap Brown"They cannot divide us by saying that you're middle class or you're lower class."
— H. Rap Brown"There's no such thing as second class citizenship. That's like telling me you can be a little bit pregnant."
— H. Rap Brown"There is no such thing as a black middle class."
— H. Rap Brown"The poverty program was not designed to eliminate poverty."
— H. Rap Brown"The only thing that's going to free Huey is gun powder."
— H. Rap Brown"The only politics in this country that's relevant to black people today is the politics of revolution... none other."
— H. Rap Brown"The man does not beat your head because you got a Cadillac or because you got a Ford; he beats you because you're black!"
— H. Rap Brown"So black people all across this country are uniting. They must unite, and they must organize themselves."
— H. Rap Brown"See, it's no in between: you're either free or you're a slave."
— H. Rap Brown"One of the lies that we tell ourselves is that we're making progress; but Huey's chair's empty."
— H. Rap Brown"No such thing as a Dixiecrat."
— H. Rap Brown"In terms of the revolution, I believe that the revolution will be a revolution of dispossessed people in this country: that's the Mexican American, the Puerto Rican American, the American Indian, and black people."
— H. Rap Brown"If America don't come around, we're gonna' burn it down."
— H. Rap Brown"Everybody in the black community must organize, and then we decide whether we will have alliance with other people or not, but not until we are organized."
— H. Rap Brown"Class structures are a luxury that we cannot afford."
— H. Rap Brown"Black people must address itself to the causes of poverty. That's oppression in this country."
— H. Rap Brown"And understand: class differences will not save you."
— H. Rap Brown