Discussion on African American Identity

Come to that in just a second. But to come back to it,

so I would say the Africans

and the American Negroes have turned out to be an extraordinarily gifted

people. The great tragedy is that by not making us full class citizens

as yet in America, they may be losing, I don't know how much yet.

That's all. And to come back, I would say that unquestionably,

I am an American, born there, uh, my father a

slave there. Upon the backs of my people

was developed the

primary wealth of America, the primary wealth.

You have to have accumulated wealth to start, you know, to build.

Mm.

You did it another way here in Australia.

You, you know, you had to build your accumulated wealth

too.

Mm-hmm.

You just came and took it. You know what I mean?

And that's what they did in most of the countries.

It's what you West- it's what you Europeans did,

you just took it.

We got to catch up with you a little bit.

And so in America, so there's a lot of America

that belongs to me yet, you

understand?

Mm-hmm.

But just like a Scottish American is proud of being from Scotland-

Mm

... I'm proud for being African. Now, in our school books, they tried to tell me

that all Africans were savages, till I got to London

and found most of the Africans

I knew and were going to Oxford and Cambridge and doing very well-

... and, uh, and learned their culture. Uh, and even once had...

Well, somebody had the temerity after one had,

had c- conquered

the Chinese people and imposed upon them the opium trade and

everything else, to suggest that they were a backward people,

just the people who

had been civilized so long over the rest of you folks, didn't make any sense at

all. So somewhere, uh, it was wonderful to find about the colored

peoples of the world that they were very advanced.

So I would say today that I'm an American who is infinitely

prouder to be of African descent, no question about it.

No question about it. I'm an Afro American,

and I don't use the word American

ever loosely again.

Now, this was the feeling, this was the feeling-

That's right

... uh, that, that when you, you're in London about 19, say '37, '38,

you really

had the world at your feet then. I mean, you, you're a tremendous success.

You were recognized all over the world, and yet you went back to

America.

That's right.

Was this, this was the feeling that took you back, was it?

I felt I had to go back to my people, that's right. The go- the going was tough.

Mm-hmm.

And, uh, today I can go back. I just had my passport

renewed. I could go back to pretty tough times now.

Mm.

But any time I could get a telegram next week that the Negro people had

gathered somewhere in one of their conferences as they could-

Mm

... and say, "Paul, in the diff- in the difficulties that

are going on in America,

would you come back and help us?" I would take the plane as

soon as I finished my

engagement