Maulana Karenga

"Belief in spooks who threaten us if we dont worship them and demand we turn over our destiny and daily lives must be categorized as spookism and condemned."

"The white university is not primarily an educational institution but a political one, and it seeks to maintain the power base of American society."

"So what, then, is the use of art — our art, Black art? Black art must expose the enemy, praise the people and support the revolution.… We do not need pictures of oranges in a bowl or trees standing innocently in the midst of a wasteland. If we must paint oranges and trees, let our guerrillas be eating those oranges for strength and using those trees for cover."

"We are not interested in spookism which is what our spiritualism in Africa degenerated into. That is, invested in a spook estate up in the sky and paying little attention to real estate on this earth."

"We have to distinguish between riots and revolts.… Riots are illegal. A revolt is legitimate because it is what people must do to express self-defense, self-determination, and self-direction."

"Kwanzaa was conceived, created and introduced to the African community as an audacious act of self-determination."