Say It Out Loud. I Fix and I'm Proud

"We demands a chance to do things for ourself/we're tired of beating our head against the wall/and workin' for someone else" - James Brown (I'm Black and I'm Proud, 1968)

1968, I was 6 years old, and I remember this song.  I remember my parents, whites from the Ozarks, reacting to it... good people, but completely unable to appreciate James Brown's signing, or the lyrics to his song.  (skip to bottom to play Brown's music video)

And now we demands a chance To do things for ourselves we tired of beating our heads against the wall And working for someone else 

How can people be anything but proud to do business with these technicians of color in Ghana?  How low can we possibly stoop to defend the prison sentence of Joseph Benson for selling gently used electronics goods to these smart people in these markets?

The hardest working man in show business had a lot in common with the hardest working people in the electronics reuse and repair business.  I speak to people who are afraid to sell to these techs of color.   They would be ashamed, they say, if the clients knew they were trading to Africa.

Color and shame?

Say it loud.

The trip to Africa is not like my trips to China in 2002 and 2005.  This time, I already have the photos, I already have the records.   This time I'm not going to "investigate", to be the great white savior.  Been there, ashamed of that.   This time I'm going to meet friends of my friends.



Uh, with your bad self 
Say it louder (I got a mouth) 
Say it louder (I got a mouth) 


Look a'here, some people say we got a lot of malice 
Some say it's a lotta nerve 
I say we won't quit moving 
Til we get what we deserve 
We've been buked and we've been scourned 
We've been treated bad, talked about 
As just as sure as you're born 
But just as sure as it take 
Two eyes to make a pair, huh 
Brother, we can't quit until we get our share 

Say it loud, 
I'm black and I'm proud 
Say it loud, 
I'm black and I'm proud, one more time 
Say it loud, 
I'm black and I'm proud, huh 

I've worked on jobs with my feet and my hands 
But all the work I did was for the other man 
And now we demands a chance 
To do things for ourselves 
we tired of beating our heads against the wall 
And working for someone else 

Say it loud, 
I'm black and I'm proud 
Say it loud, 
I'm black and I'm proud 
Say it loud, 
I'm black and I'm proud 
Say it loud, 
I'm black and I'm proud, oowee 

Ooowee, ou're killing me 
Alright uh, you're out of sight 
Alright, so tough, you're tough enough 
Ooowee uh, you're killing me, oow 

Say it loud, 
I'm black and I'm proud 
Say it louder, 
I'm black and I'm proud 



Now we demand a chance to do things for ourselves 
We tired of beating our heads against the wall 
And working for someone else 
A look a'here, 
One thing more I got to say right here 
Now, we're people like the birds and the bees 
We rather die on our feet, 
Than keep living on our knees 

Say it loud, 
I'm black and I'm proud, hu 
Say it loud, 
I'm black and I'm proud, hu 
Say it loud, 
I'm black and I'm proud, Lord'a Lord'a Lord'a 
Say it loud, 
I'm black and I'm proud, ooooh 



Uh, alright now, good Lord 
You know we can do the boog-a-loo 
Now we can say we do the Funky Broadway! 
Now we can do, hu 
Sometimes we dance, we sing and we talk 
You know I do like to do the camel walk 
Alright now, hu alright, 
Alright now, ha 

Say it loud, 
I'm black and I'm proud 
Say it louder, 
I'm black and I'm proud, let me hear ya 
Say it louder, 
I'm black and I'm proud 
Say it louder, 
I'm black and I'm proud 



Now we's demands a chance to do things for ourselves 
We're tired of beating our heads against the wall 
And working for someone else, hu 
Now we're our people, too 
We're like the birds and the bees, 
But we'd rather die on our feet, 
Than keep a'living on our knees 




Say it louder, 
I'm black and I'm proud 
Say it louder, 
I'm black and I'm proud, let me hear ha', huh 
Say it loud, 
I'm black and I'm proud, hu 
Say it louder, 
I'm black and I'm proud 
Say it louder, 
I'm black and I'm proud 



Oooow, oowee, you're killing me, alright 
Uh, outa sight, alright you're outa sight 
Ooowee, oh Lord, 
Ooowee, you're killing me 
Ooowee, ooowee, ooowee, ooowee, ow 



Say it loud, 
I'm black and I'm proud, hu 
Say it louder, 
I'm black and I'm proud , Lord I feel it 
Say it loud, 
I'm black and I'm proud 
Say it louder, 
I'm black and I'm proud