It is the capitalist industries which is destroying the world, not whether you or I turn off our light bulbs at home.

— Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin

Tennessee is one of the worst states in the country for infant mortality, esp. for majority Black communities like Memphis. Yet, last week the Republicans cut the budget for the agency dealing with infant mortality. What bothers me is that there has been no reaction. There need to be 25,000 people converging on Nashville, just like the Tea Party does.

— Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin

Poor people need their own leadership and organizations of struggle. Otherwise they are exploited by false friends: poverty pimps, politicians, and Uncle Tom preachers. If the poor are in their own unions, they can pressure corporations and the state into major concessions, and eventually smash the entire system.

— Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin

People of color, and especially Black people, should not give up their leadership of social struggles in this country to anyone.

— Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin

Opportunists of every race, class and hue, are standing by to take over for a selfish, narrow, or self-seeking agenda, while the poor are fighting for their/our lives. Until we are organized, we are vulnerable for all manner of mischief.

— Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin

That slick-hair preacher, the other political preacher, union bureaucrat, poverty pimp, and other like them want the poor to cede their leadership of the struggle to them for more publicity, handouts, and self-aggrandizement.

— Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin

So, who speaks for the poor? We must learn to speak for ourselves.

— Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin

There is no question that social struggles in each country are different. In some, the labor movement might still have some vitality, in others it would be poor peoples organizations, or women's movements, or the fight against dictatorships. The original or central struggle can then spark coalitions and movements of all sorts to arise.

— Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin

In the 1960s, the Civil Rights and Black Power movements set the stage for the anti-war, Gay, women's, youth, and the social movements to arise. This can happen now, with the poor people movement. So many have no jobs, money or means of survival, but they must build their own movements, or they will be captured by advocacy groups/MPO's.

— Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin

The government and corporations use advocacy groups/NPO's to co-opt autonomous struggles and steer them into reformism and mainstream politics. Then they use their misleadership to protect them rich for corporate grants or Party leaderships posts, even academic positions.

— Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin

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