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On November 15, 1998, after a two-year-long battle with prostate cancer, Stokely Carmichael passed away at the age of 57 in Conakry, Guinea. He had said earlier that his cancer "was given to me by forces of American imperialism and others who conspired with them". He had also claimed that the FBI had infected him with the cancer in an assassination attempt.
In the last interview he gave in his life, to the Washington Post in April of 1998, Carmichael had criticised the limited economic and political progress of African-Americans in the U.S. of the past thirty years. He acknowledged that black Americans had won election to the mayor's office in several major cities, but also stated that, as the power of someone in the position of mayor had diminished in years gone by, such progress was, in essence, meaningless.
Carmichael, along with Charles V. Hamilton (with whom he wrote the book Black Power in 1967), was credited with coining the term 'institutional racism'. This is defined as racism that occurs through institutions like public bodies and corporations, including universities. Carmichael himself, in the 1960s, defined 'institutional racism' as "the collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture or ethnic origin".
Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson spoke in celebration of Carmichael's life:
"He was one of our generation who was determined to give his life to transforming America and Africa. He was committed to ending racial apartheid in our country. He helped to bring those walls down."
NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) chairman Julian Bond also stated that Carmichael "ought to be remembered for having spent nearly every moment of his adult life trying to advance the cause of black liberation."
In the last interview he gave in his life, to the Washington Post in April of 1998, Carmichael had criticised the limited economic and political progress of African-Americans in the U.S. of the past thirty years. He acknowledged that black Americans had won election to the mayor's office in several major cities, but also stated that, as the power of someone in the position of mayor had diminished in years gone by, such progress was, in essence, meaningless.
Carmichael, along with Charles V. Hamilton (with whom he wrote the book Black Power in 1967), was credited with coining the term 'institutional racism'. This is defined as racism that occurs through institutions like public bodies and corporations, including universities. Carmichael himself, in the 1960s, defined 'institutional racism' as "the collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture or ethnic origin".
Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson spoke in celebration of Carmichael's life:
"He was one of our generation who was determined to give his life to transforming America and Africa. He was committed to ending racial apartheid in our country. He helped to bring those walls down."
NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) chairman Julian Bond also stated that Carmichael "ought to be remembered for having spent nearly every moment of his adult life trying to advance the cause of black liberation."