On May 5, 1903, civil rights pioneer Booker T. Washington addressed an enthusiastic audience at Detroit’s since-demolished Light Guard Armory.
“Any race that yields to the temptation of hating another race because of its color weakens and narrows itself,” he said.
“Wherever I can I propose to teach my people to take high ground, to teach them if others would be little we must be great.
“If others must be mean, we must be good.
“If others should try to push us down, we must show a broader spirit and help push them up.”
Source : This Week In Michigan History, May 3, 2009, A.14.