Civil Rights Speaker Invokes Tales of Injustice, Words of Love

(This article was published in the April 2007 issue of the Mount Observer.)

An elder gentleman, small in stature but tall in presence, dressed in white in honor of the Yoruban-African deity, Obatala, Patron of enlightenment, stood proudly on stage as an advocate of peace for all beings.

“To the greatest people, attending the greatest college, located within the greatest nation throughout the history of the world, I praise you.” These were the introductory words of Dr. Jibreel Khazan, life-long advocate for human rights, most acclaimed for his role as one of the Greensboro Four, whose sit-in demonstration at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Feb. 1, 1960 had within a week triggered a nation-wide protest against the segregation policies so commonplace within the Deep South. “I say this to you to dissuade you from thinking of me as a radical; for I am in favor of freedom for all beings of all the beautiful races of the world,” Dr. Khazan said.

Dr. Khazan was the college's guest speaker last month, beginning at 10:30 a.m., within the auditorium, giving words to both his past as a young student who had suddenly realized his fate as a champion for Civil Rights and to dreams of a positive future where humans uphold universal respect, equality, and opportunity.

“Speaking as a child of a black slave raped by her white master, it makes no sense to hate any one race or creed, for you may find those who you wish to kill may be your brothers all along,” Dr. Khazan said.

Dr. Khazan described his past with both provocation and intimacy. He shed light upon a predominately white audience, boasting a headcount well over 300, that a young, black college student subjected to Jim Crow's authority had to confront the internal paradox of one academically trained to think like a white man yet face the mistreatment given to all negroes, regardless of character and merit.

More profound was Dr. Khazan's mention of many black war veterans, even those decorated, who had come back to the states after fighting tyranny overseas only to be denied service in “whites only” establishments.

Dr. Khazan stressed the importance of civil disobedience without violence. He attributed this wisdom through the past actions of Jesus and Mahatma Gandhi, as well as from the advice given by his mother, who warned him on the eve of the Woolworth's demonstration that any hostility will consequently reflect badly upon every black person, and that he will only be taken seriously if he dressed and acted professionally. “My mother said to me, 'I'll either see you on TV or in jail, but either way, you'll do right,' ” Dr. Khazan said.

Dr. Khazan further explained his position that divinity is shared equally amongst all races through examples of white people who had defended the Greensboro Four during their protest, when police were called in to “quell the disturbance.” One man spoke out against segregation in honor of black WWII veterans, one young women expressed disappointment to Dr. Khazan, then called Ezell Blair Jr., for not defying the injustices sooner, even two elderly women had expressed what the Greensboro Four were doing was just.

However serious the issue of racial injustice, Dr. Khazan always maintained a warm and positive demeanor to deliver his message, even so far as to break out in song where lyrics enhanced his meaning. He reminisced his college years with tales as a mousy freshman pressed into running campus contraband amongst seniors intent on partying with minimal risk.
He even went as far as to contribute his tireless devotion to activism towards his begrudging lack of romantic involvement with women. “I was a young man pent-up with passion, and with no woman to release this, my energies fueled my thinking upwards, not downwards,” Dr. Khazan said.

Though an historic figure himself, Dr. Khazan did not concentrate solely on the past successes in the struggle for equal rights. He made suggestions for future reformation such as defining our modern “Holy Trinity” as the Bible, Bill of Rights, and the US Constitution, as well as a revision within the Declaration of Independence, where the phrase, “all men are created equal” should be changed to include women. “Heaven is at the feet of our mothers and wives, so treat them gently,” Dr. Khazan said.

Dr. Khazan entertained his audience with wild tangents and stories, yet somehow concluded with a soft-spoken, sober point. His wisdoms were powerfully clear. “Some have declared that by shutting down Woolworth's through demonstration, we had interfered with their right to enterprise, “ Dr. Khazan said. “But I ask you this: which came first to us through the grace of God, property rights or human rights?”

Through tales and theories, both light-hearted and challenging, Dr. Khazan never once strayed away from his faith in a better world through love. He concluded his speech with a song he encouraged his audience to participate in: a gospel entitled, “This Little Light of Mine,” by Harry D. Loes.