And maybe one more of those.
It was really great to imagine what he might say to his shadow
when nobody was listening.
"The Shadow Knows."
"You're not fooling me by quoting Shakespeare, Mr.
Champion of the Negro World.
No matter how carefully you enunciate, Tiny was a slave
and the conditions of the son follow
the conditions of the mother.
Emancipation didn't change a thing.
Ask John L. Jeffries, ask Jim Jeffries,
ask Gentleman Jim or any of the other color-line-calling white
fighters.
Better yet, ask Tiny.
Your ex-chattel mama will tell you
all about the unconditionalness of blackness.
You can wreck an auto and buy a new one the next day,
but you can't buy equality.
You can change your clothes five times a day
while speaking Italian and playing
the viol in that fancy classical way,
but you can't change your skin.
What do you know, Shadow?
I'm trying to better myself."
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]