Selected Words of Wisdom of Charles Harris Wesley

Abstract

During a fifty-three year span, 1920-1973, Charles Harris Wesley was one of the most highly revered and respected speakers of our time. His background in education, history, labor, and religion provided him with a world-view of African-American life and culture, which placed him in demand throughout the country. Wesley wrote many of his speeches in long hand and often delivered them from his draft. His compositions were vibrant and alive and possessed the hallmark of scholarship and literary merit. His delivery was inspirational and the verbal picture that he painted gave hope to many, for his words showed his convictions and how sincerely he cared about his people. Wesley's speeches often reflected a message, usually providing a systematical glimpse of our heritage and what we as African-Americans needed to do in order to better our lives. He believed in peaceful solutions and dedicated his life in forging the use of facts and truths in preserving African American heritage and culture. Wesley was an intellect with tremendous courage. He was outspoken and a shaper of opinion during the 1930s and 1940s. A large number of his speeches were indicative of the status of African-Americans at the time and some were reflections of his activism and protest days in Washington. This intellectual leader, scholar, and orator tested the discriminatory practices at the U.S. House of Representative restaurant in 1934 when he and other Howard University faculty were refused. In addition, Wesley was further involved in the 1963 March on Washington with the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, calling for "Jobs and Freedom Now." Wesley was one of the few college presidents (Central State College) who opened his college to the students who were victims of school desegregation in 1954 at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas and in 1960 to the sit-in students from Southern University in Louisiana. Wesley often quipped that some of his colleagues thought that he spoke out on too many sensitive issues. However, he felt that people needed to hear the truth and leaders should stand tough and remain vigilant. Wesley's words of wisdom and great expressions have been collected from his speeches, letters and essays which depict his spirit, the force of his thoughts and beliefs in the areas of history, teaching and the struggle for black identity. He believed that we hold the power in our hands; we should not abuse it, but use it to the improvement of our people and education. In a nation composed of various ethnic groups and in cities where major population groups are in contact, it was inevitable that there would be writers who would neglect or ignore or be misinformed about the contributions to American life of other groups than their own, especially when these groups are regarded as unimportant to the mainstream of history. As we face the future, there are two major needs which are challenges in the continued creation of self-esteem, self-respect, and self reliance. One concerns the writing of history, and the second, teaching of history. It is recognized that there is a new opportunity in American life for those who desire to achieve, for those who think originally and for scholars in scientific pursuits and those who teach. It is a gloomy moment in history. Not for many years - not in the lifetime of most men and women here - has there been so much grave apprehension; never has the future seemed so invaluable as at this time. In a nation composed of various ethnic groups and in cities where major population groups are in contact, it was inevitable that there would be writers who would neglect or ignore or he misinformed about the contributions to American life of other groups than their own, especially when these groups are regarded as unimportant to the mainstream of history. The study and teaching of white history only in some of these schools have induced many black people to be ashamed of themselves, for they knew little and learned less of their homeland, Africa, and more of the homelands of others, and they were informed of slavery only in their distorted historical books concerning life in America. …