Look—it ain’t never been another fighter like me. Ain’t never been no nothing like me.

If I was Cassius Clay today, I’d be just like Floyd Patterson. I’d probably have a white wife and I wouldn’t represent black people in no way. Or I’d be like Charley Pride, the folk singer. Nothin’ bad about him—he’s a good fella and I met his black wife, but Charley stays out of controversy. It’s not only him, because I could name Wilt Chamberlain and others who just don’t get involved in struggle or racial issues—it might jeopardize their position. I’d be that kind of man.

You listen up and maybe I’ll make you as famous as I made Howard Cosell. “Wars on nations are fought to change maps, but wars on poverty are fought to map change.” Good, huh? “The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” These are words of wisdom, so pay attention, Mr. Playboy.

Because black people in America will never be free so long as they’re on the white man’s land. Look, birds want to be free, tigers want to be free, everything wants to be free. We can’t be free until we get our own land and our own country in North America. When we separate from America and take maybe ten states, then we’ll be free. Free to make our own laws, set our own taxes, have our own courts, our own judges, our own schoolrooms, our own currency, our own passports. And if not here in America, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said the white man should supply us with the means to let us go back somewhere in Africa and build up our own country. America, rich as it is, was made rich partly through the black man’s labor. It can afford to supply us for 25 years with the means to make our own nation work, and we’ll build it up, too. We can’t be free if we can’t control our own land.