"Know whence you came. If you know whence you came, there is really no limit to where you can go." --James Baldwin In these troubled times, wisdom often seems in short supply. But as this magnificent volume reminds us, African Americans have been blessed with a precious legacy of wisdom, gained through long hard years of struggle by those who have gone before. Wisdom is the most hallowed gift born of experience and endurance. The life-affirming guidance in The Wisdom of the Elders has been gleaned from this bountiful harvest and includes some of the most electrifying and deeply moving writings and speeches ever produced. Here are the unedited works of such luminaries as Sojourner Truth, W. E. B. DuBois, Martin Luther King Jr., Elijah Muhammad, Lorraine Hansberry, Thurgood Marshall, Zora Neale Hurston, Adam Clayton Powell, Mary McLeod Bethune, Marcus Garvey, Barbara Jordan, Paul Robeson, Jean Toomer, and many others. The elders' empowering messages and Robert Fleming's interpretations offer us mother wit, cultural truths, and spiritual sustenance. These words challenge and inspire us to build on the best of our past, to insure our future. Robert Fleming has collected a wealth of inspirational quotations of African Americans. Among the topics covered by these esteemed men and women are power and politics, culture, self-esteem, education, community, race and racism, and strategies for change. Fleming offers a reflection on each quotation and then a daily affirmation to go forth with that day. My favorite affirmation: "There is no room for negativity in my life. I see the positive possibilities in all things." -- JMC hence you came. If you know whence you came, there is really no limit to where you can go." --James Baldwin In these troubled times, wisdom often seems in short supply. But as this magnificent volume reminds us, African Americans have been blessed with a precious legacy of wisdom, gained through long hard years of struggle by those who have gone before. Wisdom is the most hallowed gift born of experience and endurance. The life-affirming guidance in The Wisdom of the Elders has been gleaned from this bountiful harvest and includes some of the most electrifying and deeply moving writings and speeches ever produced. Here are the unedited works of such luminaries as Sojourner Truth, W. E. B. DuBois, Martin Luther King Jr., Elijah Muhammad, Lorraine Hansberry, Thurgood Marshall, Zora Neale Hurston, Adam Clayton Powell, Mary McLeod Bethune, Marcus Garvey, Barbara Jordan, Paul Robeson, Jean Toomer, and many others. The elders' empowering messages and Robert Fleming's interpreta "Know whence you came. If you know whence you came, there is really no limit to where you can go." --James Baldwin In these troubled times, wisdom often seems in short supply. But as this magnificent volume reminds us, African Americans have been blessed with a precious legacy of wisdom, gained through long hard years of struggle by those who have gone before. Wisdom is the most hallowed gift born of experience and endurance. The life-affirming guidance in The Wisdom of the Elders has been gleaned from this bountiful harvest and includes some of the most electrifying and deeply moving writings and speeches ever produced. Here are the unedited works of such luminaries as Sojourner Truth, W. E. B. DuBois, Martin Luther King Jr., Elijah Muhammad, Lorraine Hansberry, Thurgood Marshall, Zora Neale Hurston, Adam Clayton Powell, Mary McLeod Bethune, Marcus Garvey, Barbara Jordan, Paul Robeson, Jean Toomer, and many others. The elders' empowering messages and Robert Fleming's interpretations offer us mother wit, cultural truths, and spiritual sustenance. These words challenge and inspire us to build on the best of our past, to insure our future. "From the Hardcover edition. Robert Fleming has written for  Essence ,  Black Enterprise ,  The Source , and the New York Times , among others. A former award-winning reporter for the New York Daily News , he is the author of  The African American Writer’s Handbook  and  The Wisdom of the Elders . His work was featured in  Brown Sugar  and he was the editor of  After Hours. HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF       Even in Congress, the white people, the dominant race, are beginning to throw in our teeth that enough has been done for us, and we must now take care of ourselves. I do not object to this. We are numerous enough, and all we need is to be intelligent enough to take care of ourselves. We are four millions, out of thirty millions who inhabit this country and we have rights as well as privileges to maintain and we must assert our manhood in their vindication.   … With this force as a political element, and as laborers, producers and consumers, we are an element of strength and wealth too powerful to be ignored by the American people. All we need is a just appreciation of our own power and our own manhood…. I strike out boldly, as if born in a desert, and looking for civilization. I am grop