“The First Noble Truth of Rastafari, then, was to assert the dignity and individuality of Black people in the Americas.”

I want to say 'I shot the police' but the government would have made a fuss so I said 'I shot the sheriff' instead... but it's the same idea: justice. Bob Marley

"Marley, at some point, realized that his life was emblematic of a larger structure in the life of Black people surviving in a system that would demean and destroy their lives and he wanted to free them from the system."

"Garvey’s vision of a unified Black nation and an African homeland was woven into the texture of the reggae lyric. Garvey was thus elevated to the status of a cultural hero and prophet by songwriters such as Culture in The Two Sevens Clash"

"Whether the theme of the paradise, exile and return is interpreted literally or metaphorically, the idea remains one of the major motifs in the development of the reggae lyric."

Text from a lecture at Miami Dade College, North Campus on Wednesday, February 13, 2008.

Tribute to MLK, shot 40 years ago today. A man whose courage, dedication, and nonviolent advocacy for civil rights continue to inspire people around the world.