Adam Clay Powell
...es and the conditions of America. Powell and Dr. King were familiar associates they visited with each other from time to time. Powell told of the incident when he and Dr. King were eating and a number of the individuals who were accompanying them had not heard Dr. King preach. He Asked Dr, King to preach and Dr. King so obliged. It was during the sermon that,” a stranger came up to one of the men in the group and said to him, “Please tell Dr. King not to go the Memphis because if he does, he will be killed.” Powell passed the message to Dr. King who did not seem to take it seriously and weeks later he was assonated. He also told of his friendship with the late Malcolm X and how he was instrumental to enlightening Malcolm to his own religion and to the opening of his newfound mental perspective. Adam Clay Powell, Jr. was a man who was concerned with the conditions of the masses and had a deep passion for the liberation of the black man. He commended the Black Panthers for their leadership and unity having a willingness to die for what they believed, though he could not always agree with their ideologies or methods. Powell wanted the best for his people and most of all wanted them to be together. ‘My own opinion is that we cannot afford the luxury of differences among ourselves now. But the one point on which we can all definitely afford to agree is unity on the basis of desegregation, regardless of whether we are joining with Black Muslims, Black Panthers, or the Negro bourgeoisie. After desegregation is accomplished, then we can afford the luxury of differences among ourselves.” I feel inspired by Adam Clay Powell, Jr., he was a man that I wish I had read or heard about much before reading this excerpt. Mr. Powell ideas were centered around not himself but on a group of people who obviously had been taken advantage of and mistreated. He understood that the power lied within the people themselves and he voiced his opinion encouraging black people to take the necessary measures to obtain a self sufficient base and sounding board enabling them to attain certain desired right not just the amenities of America. “What then for the future? I believe-no, I know that we are passing through a revolution. And I believe that we are on the edge of a civil war. These words utter the most tension in this literary work. Powell was very concerned with the direction that the country was heading. He poses the question after accounting the few African American leaders who had made a considerable difference in the voice of blacks being heard. Following he emphasizes the importance of unity and support, especially with in the black homes and communities which will lead to a better way of living for all people. The literary work e...