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| Marcus - Politics |
| Sunday, October 26, 1924 |
| We are assembled here this afternoon under the auspices of the Universal Negro Political Union? This is the first of a series of meetings that the Union will stage in Liberty Hall during the present political campaign for the purpose of educating the members of the Union, the members of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and the Negroes of Harlem generally as to the real meaning of politics and at the same time to prepare them to vote during the forthcoming national election. Politics is an important science. It is that science that protects those human rights that are not protected by law. It is the only medium or weapon need, and for that reason the delegates representing the Negro peoples, not l this country, but all over the world thought it wise, good and proper this time we should organize within the Universal Negro Improvement Association, as an auxiliary, a distinct political institution that would be charged with the duty of protecting and looking after the political rights of the people there everywhere. The Union is firmly established all over this country. We have branches at the present time, organized by the 1,400 branches of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, all over the country, and we have given out from executive headquarters a program that is going to be followed during this campaign for the national election, and we want the Negroes of Harlem to be well acquainted with what has been done and what should be done. It is for that reason that we call you here this afternoon. TO BE TRICKED NO LONGER The time has come for the Negro to stop allowing himself to be bamboozled and tricked and fooled by Tom, Dick and Harry. The time has come for him to settle down on a policy of his own, in politics, in religion, in education, in society, in every walk of life. The Jew has a policy in politics and religion. Every group has a policy in politics and religion, and we think the time has come for the Negro to have a policy in politics and religion. We have laid down already our religious policy. That was widely discussed during the convention and widely promulgated as a doctrine all over the world; and now we are laying down our political policy, and we want you to follow us lily and attentively this afternoon as we enunciate this policy in good old Liberty Hall. I feel sure that those of you who are members of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and those of you who are members of the Universal Negro Political Union are going to exercise the franchise with telling effect during this election period. We want to say at the outset, however, that the Universal Negro Political Union is different from all other Negro political organizations. Nobody gives us any money. We support our own policies and pay for them, so that we can be in a position to talk and to demand what we want. (Applause.) Nobody pays us to talk. They could not pay us to talk. We talk because we feel the righteousness of our expressions. We talk because we feel it our responsibility to talk in the interests of the people m we represent. NO MONEY TAKES You know some fellows thought we would never get into politics, but we take time doing everything. As we took time before we bought a ship, so we take time before we enter politics. But there is one thing about the Universal Negro Improvement Association and all things identified with the Universal Negro Improvement Association--when we enter a thing we are in it to the death. (Applause.) And we are going to see it through. And so you realize that all over this country at this time the Universal Negro Political Union is taking a stand.... The first speaker of the afternoon is Sir William Sherrill. Sir William Sherrill is the chairman of the American wing of the Universal Negro Political Union. You know the Universal Negro Political Union is as universal as the Universal Negro Political [Improvement?] Association. I am the Universal chairman and Mr. Sherrill is the chairman of the American wing of the Union. The Universal Negro Political Union has as much interest in the politics of Haiti and Barbados and Trinidad and British Guiana and Jamaica as in any African state. Our duty is to put in office men who we believe will serve the interests of the Negro race. So when the next election comes off in Trinidad you are going to find candidates representing the Universal Negro Political Union just as we have candidates here indorsed by the Universal Negro Political Union. When the next political campaign starts in Jamaica we are going to see to it that fourteen black men get into the legislative council of Jamaica backed by the Universal Negro Political Union. (Applause.) And so Barbados and British Guiana. We are just out in politics now and we are going to clean up everything for justice and righteousness. (Applause.) |
| RastafarI |
| Haile Selassie I |
