NOTE: This beautiful plaque was presented to me on stage at McKinney Auditorium right after my speech. I was stunned. The whole experience was surreal -- a completely unexpected honor.
First I want to thank you and my neighbor, Candice Bell, for
this honor and opportunity to speak to your graduating class in political
science.
I think of myself as a political social scientist and a
revolutionary journalist.
I was active in the Black Panther Party from 1969 to 1971,
where I was introduced to Marx, Mao, Che, and Fanon – and committed my life to
serving the people and fighting their enemies.
As Frantz Fanon noted in The Wretched of the Earth,
“Each generation must discover its mission, fulfill it or
betray it...”
That’s the question to ask your selves individually and
collectively.