Public speech making has played a powerful role in the long struggle by African Americans for equal rights. This collection, for the ear and the eye, highlights speeches by an eclectic mix of black leaders. Their impassioned, eloquent words continue to affect the ideas of a nation and the direction of history.
Read and hear more here
I enjoyed listening to the "Say it Plain" speeches. The statement that stood out the most to me was that leaders such as Booker T. Washington, Fannie Lou Hamer and Stokley Carmichael gave speeches to encourage optimism and and say "hang in there." They gave encouraging words to help African Americans stay motivated to practice resistance to the injustices of their time. The speeches were to let the people know that their fate was not "in the hands of their oppressor but a higher being." I believe that it was rhetoric is all about.
ReplyDelete-Mari Edwards