"Steve, with his brilliant mind that always saw to the heart of things, realized that until blacks asserted their humanity and their personhood, there was not the remotest chance for reconciliation in South Africa.... Steve knew and believed fervently that being pro-black was not the same thing as being anti-white. The black consciousness movement is not a "hate white movement" despite all you may have heard to the contrary. He had a far too profound respect for persons as persons to want them under ready-made, shop-soiled, second-hand categories...We weep with and pray for Ntsiki [Mrs. Biko] and all of Steve's family. We weep for ourselves. . . . Steve started something that is quite unstoppable. The powers of injustice, of oppression, of exploitation have done their worst and they have lost.... Many who support the present unjust system in this country know in their hearts that they are upholding a system that is evil and unjust and oppressive, and which is utterly abhorrent and displeasing to God. There is no doubt whatsoever that freedom is coming. Yes, it may be a costly struggle still. The darkest hour, they say, is before the dawn. We are experiencing the birth pangs of a new South Africa, a free South Africa, where all of us, black and white together will walk tall; where all of us, black and white together, will hold hands as we stride forth on the Freedom March to usher in the South Africa where people will matter because they are human beings made in the image of God. We thank and praise God for giving us such a magnificent gift in Steve Biko"
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Desmond Tutu speaking at his funeral, anthologized in Remembrances and Celebrations edited by Jill Werman Harris (2000)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Steve_Biko
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Steve Biko
Stephen Bantu Biko (18 December 1946 β 12 September 1977) was a noted anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s.
14 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Steve Biko β
Related Quotes
"The basic tenet of black consciousness is that the black man must reject all value systems that seek to make him a foβ¦"
"Even today, we are still accused of racism. This is a mistake. We know that all interracial groups in South Africa arβ¦"
"You are either alive and proud or you are dead, and when you are dead, you can't care anyway."
"It is better to die for an idea that will live, than to live for an idea that will die."
"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed."
"Apartheid β both petty and grand β is obviously evil. Nothing can justify the arrogant assumption that a clique of foβ¦"
"The logic behind white domination is to prepare the black man for the subservient role in this country. Not so long aβ¦"
"The system concedes nothing without demand, for it formulates its very method of operation on the basis that the ignoβ¦"
"In time, we shall be in a position to bestow on South Africa the greatest possible gift—a more human face."
"We must realise that prophetic cry of black students: "Black man you are on your own!""