---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everybody in the black community must…"
description: "\"Everybody in the black community must organize, and then we decide whether we will have alliance with other people or not, but not until we are organiz..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/h-rap-brown-15374_alliances_everybody-in-the-black-community-must-or_185943.jpg"
---

#  Everybody in the black community must organize, and then…

![“Everybody in the black community must organize, and then we decide whether we will have alliance with other people or not, but not until we are organized.” quote by H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/h-rap-brown-15374_alliances_everybody-in-the-black-community-must-or_185943.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/h-rap-brown-15374_alliances_everybody-in-the-black-community-must-or_185943.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/h-rap-brown-15374_alliances_everybody-in-the-black-community-must-or_185943.jpg)

> “Everybody in the black community must organize, and then we decide whether we will have alliance with other people or not, but not until we are organized.”

[H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Organizing within the Black community is a prerequisite for deciding alliances, emphasizing self‑determination before external partnerships.

**In simple terms:** First organize, then choose allies.

Key Takeaway

Strengthen internal unity first.

Themes

community political strategy self‑determination

Mood

determined strategic

Type

political motivational

When to use this quote

- grassroots movements
- political campaigns
- social justice initiatives
- community meetings

Key Concepts

collective action strategic alliance

Questions to Reflect On

- What steps are needed for effective organization?
- How can alliances be balanced with autonomy?

A Different Perspective

External alliances may be delayed, risking missed opportunities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Alliances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alliances/) [Black community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-community/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/)

## Related quotes

> [In Paris, everybody is in black! But you know, in Ukraine everyone wears bright colours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olga-kurylenko/in-paris-everybody-is-in-black-but-you-know-in-ukraine-everyone-wears/)

[Olga Kurylenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olga-kurylenko/)

> [My comedy has no color, it's for everybody, black, white, Latino, Asian. It's not a pro-black show, not a def jam show; it's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bruce/my-comedy-has-no-color-it-s-for-everybody-black-white-latino-asian-it/)

[Bruce Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bruce/)

> [“So, You’re Rooting for Everybody Black, Right? Yeah right! Some of my Brothas and Sistas be straight up frontin’ and lying to themselves. Let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-lahart/so-you-re-rooting-for-everybody-black-right-yeah-right-some-of-my/)

[Stephanie Lahart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-lahart/)

> [Everybody has their black moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/everybody-has-their-black-moments/)

[Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/)

> [I'm always rooting for everybody black, but I hate talking about politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myha-la/i-m-always-rooting-for-everybody-black-but-i-hate-talking-about/)

[Myha'la](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myha-la/)

> [You've just got to get people organized and tell them the truth. There aren't any magic tricks to it. You know, sometimes it's pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/you-ve-just-got-to-get-people-organized-and-tell-them-the-truth-there/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [A lot of people have nothing very well organized, and a lot of people have nothing, very well organized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/a-lot-of-people-have-nothing-very-well-organized-and-a-lot-of-people/)

[David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/)

> [“I find it obscene that countries have fallen apart and people are now organized on the basis of the order of their molecules and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/i-find-it-obscene-that-countries-have-fallen-apart-and-people-are-now/)

[Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/)

> [I highly doubt that many people are as organized as me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-robuchon/i-highly-doubt-that-many-people-are-as-organized-as-me/)

[Joel Robuchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-robuchon/)

> [All of these people who are organized with these oil-and-gas interests, that's in the administration and friends of the President of the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-waters/all-of-these-people-who-are-organized-with-these-oil-and-gas/)

[Maxine Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-waters/)

> [Successful organizing is based on the recognition that people get organized because they, too, have a vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wellstone/successful-organizing-is-based-on-the-recognition-that-people-get/)

[Paul Wellstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wellstone/)

> [We are well aware of what Donald Trump has done in his first 100 days. And people are organized all over the place to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-are-well-aware-of-what-donald-trump-has-done-in-his-first-100-days/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [So I was really excited when I came to America about meeting black people. But it was a huge culture shock, because I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-turner-smith/so-i-was-really-excited-when-i-came-to-america-about-meeting-black/)

[Jodie Turner-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-turner-smith/)

> [I'm a black man that is proud to be black, and I want to help the black community, but I love all mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/common/i-m-a-black-man-that-is-proud-to-be-black-and-i-want-to-help-the/)

[Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/common/)

> [I think in black communities today we need to encourage a lot more cross racial organizing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-davis/i-think-in-black-communities-today-we-need-to-encourage-a-lot-more/)

[Angela Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-davis/)

## More by H. Rap Brown

> [The first responsibility of the Muslim is as teacher. That is his job, to teach. His first school, his first classroom is within the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/the-first-responsibility-of-the-muslim-is-as-teacher-that-is-his-job/)

[H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/)

> [And understand: class differences will not save you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/and-understand-class-differences-will-not-save-you/)

[H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/)

> [There's no such thing as second class citizenship. That's like telling me you can be a little bit pregnant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/there-s-no-such-thing-as-second-class-citizenship-that-s-like-telling/)

[H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/)

> [See, it's no in between: you're either free or you're a slave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/see-it-s-no-in-between-you-re-either-free-or-you-re-a-slave/)

[H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/)

> [Look at the newborn baby. It struggles to breathe after living in the womb. And yet, growth comes as a result of struggle. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/look-at-the-newborn-baby-it-struggles-to-breathe-after-living-in-the/)

[H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/)

> [One of the lies that we tell ourselves is that we're making progress; but Huey's chair's empty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/one-of-the-lies-that-we-tell-ourselves-is-that-we-re-making-progress/)

[H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/)

> [I say violence is necessary. Violence is a part of America's culture. It is as American as cherry pie. Americans taught the black people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/i-say-violence-is-necessary-violence-is-a-part-of-america-s-culture/)

[H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/)

> [But black people fall for that same argument, and they go around talking about law breakers. We did not make the laws in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/but-black-people-fall-for-that-same-argument-and-they-go-around/)

[H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/)

> [My name is Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, the former H. Rap Brown. I am a devoted servant of Allah, and an unwavering devotee to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/my-name-is-imam-jamil-abdullah-al-amin-the-former-h-rap-brown-i-am-a/)

[H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/)

> [See, justice is a joke in this country, and it stinks of its hypocricy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/see-justice-is-a-joke-in-this-country-and-it-stinks-of-its-hypocricy/)

[H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/)

> [I say violence is necessary. It is as American as cherry pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/i-say-violence-is-necessary-it-is-as-american-as-cherry-pie/)

[H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/)

> [You must begin to define yourself. You must begin to define your Black heritage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/you-must-begin-to-define-yourself-you-must-begin-to-define-your-black/)

[H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/)

> [You see, the poverty program for the last five years have been buy-off programs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/you-see-the-poverty-program-for-the-last-five-years-have-been-buy-off/)

[H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/)

> [If America don't come around, we're gonna' burn it down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/if-america-don-t-come-around-we-re-gonna-burn-it-down/)

[H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/)

> [To be successful in struggle requires remembrance of the Creator and the doing of good deeds. This is important because successful struggle demands that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/to-be-successful-in-struggle-requires-remembrance-of-the-creator-and/)

[H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/)

[Explore all 43 H. Rap Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/)

## More Alliances quotes

> [ \[U\]nless oppressed groups stick together, and on alliances of self interest rather than do-goodism; nothing can be accomplished in the long run to dismantle… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/u-nless-oppressed-groups-stick-together-and-on-alliances-of-self/)

[Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/)

> [Men since the beginning of time have sought peace...military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all in turn have failed, leaving the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/men-since-the-beginning-of-time-have-sought-peace-military-alliances/)

[Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/)

> [The U.S. always needs an enemy. It comes and goes. Today it is Islam. According to this plan or ideology of the born-again Christians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walid-jumblatt/the-u-s-always-needs-an-enemy-it-comes-and-goes-today-it-is-islam/)

[Walid Jumblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walid-jumblatt/)

> [I would be quite happy to see the Northern Alliance steam across northern Afghanistan and take Kabul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-hoon/i-would-be-quite-happy-to-see-the-northern-alliance-steam-across/)

[Geoff Hoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-hoon/)

> [We are very wrong to think that some fault or other can exclude virtue, or to consider the alliance of good and evil as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/we-are-very-wrong-to-think-that-some-fault-or-other-can-exclude/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [Love and friendship, two of life's abiding rewards, are endangered species in Hollywood. People crave both, mistaking alliance for friendship, lust for love, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-obst/love-and-friendship-two-of-life-s-abiding-rewards-are-endangered/)

[Lynda Obst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-obst/)

> [...to befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/to-befoul-the-unholy-alliance-between-corrupt-business-and-corrupt/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [I prayed for the first time in a very long time today. I explained to God that unless he wanted the Marxist-Islamic alliance and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-behring-breivik/i-prayed-for-the-first-time-in-a-very-long-time-today-i-explained-to/)

Anders Behring Breivik

> [You cannot lead an alliance if you say you're going alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/you-cannot-lead-an-alliance-if-you-say-you-re-going-alone/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [An alliance is like a chain. It is not made stronger by adding weak links to it. A great power like the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/an-alliance-is-like-a-chain-it-is-not-made-stronger-by-adding-weak/)

[Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/)

> [Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/behind-the-ostensible-government-sits-enthroned-an-invisible/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [Clearly, gay marriage is on the top of the agenda right now. It's pretty amazing, considering where stuff was at when I was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-hanna/clearly-gay-marriage-is-on-the-top-of-the-agenda-right-now-it-s/)

[Kathleen Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-hanna/)

> [America must always be the world's paramount military power, but we can magnify our power through alliances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/america-must-always-be-the-world-s-paramount-military-power-but-we/)

[John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/)

> [In 1491 the Inka ruled the greatest empire on earth. Bigger than Ming Dynasty China, bigger than Ivan the Great’s expanding Russia, bigger than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/in-1491-the-inka-ruled-the-greatest-empire-on-earth-bigger-than-ming/)

[Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/)

> [ I told \[ David Lange\] he was crazy, because you can't have an alliance relationship if you refuse access to their ships. And the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/i-told-david-lange-he-was-crazy-because-you-can-t-have-an-alliance/)

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

[Browse all 389 Alliances quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alliances/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Everybody in the black community must organize, and then we decide whether we will have alliance with other people or not, but not until we are organized.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "H. Rap Brown"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/everybody-in-the-black-community-must-organize-and-then-we-decide/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Alliances"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/everybody-in-the-black-community-must-organize-and-then-we-decide/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/h-rap-brown-15374_alliances_everybody-in-the-black-community-must-or_185943.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/h-rap-brown-15374_alliances_everybody-in-the-black-community-must-or_185943.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/h-rap-brown-15374_alliances_everybody-in-the-black-community-must-or_185943.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Everybody in the black community must organize, and then we decide whether we will have alliance with other…” — H. Rap Brown",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "H. Rap Brown",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Everybody in the black community must...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/everybody-in-the-black-community-must-organize-and-then-we-decide/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/everybody-in-the-black-community-must-organize-and-then-we-decide/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
