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Amelia Boynton Robinson
Organizes the Swedish Nation and Youth

October 2007

by Hussein Askary, Chairman of the Schiller Institute in Sweden, and
Abdusalam Al-Dhaheby, LaRouche Youth Movement

Download WAV audio of Mrs. Robinson's speech at Stockholm Meeting (37 MB)

Amelia enjoying the company of teenagers (mostly girls) in a school

On Wednesday October 3, 2007, the American civil rights fighter and Schiller Institute Vice Chairwoman Amelia Boynton Robinson began her speaking tour in Stockholm, Sweden at the Global School. One hundred high school students attended and listened very carefully to the 96 year old Mrs. Robinson, who delivered a beautiful speech encouraging the young people to fight with love in order to have a better future. The hall was so quiet and the students were so concentrated as they listened to the powerful and electric speech delivered by the American nonagenarian, that one of the teachers said “I am really surprised- I never see this number of students so quiet for such a long time -- usually we keep them like this only for the first two minutes!” Mrs. Robinson spoke about what the Schiller Institute and the LaRouche Movement are doing, and how we are fighting to save the world. She asked the students to become more involved today by reading and learning more. She also made the very clear connection between what happened in the 60s and what is happening now, and how the racists of the 1960s and before, who were making slanders against Martin Luther King, Jr. are the same forces behind those who make slanders against Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr. She demonstrated vividly that the fight is the same fight, and continues today.

After the meeting three LaRouche Youth Movement organizers distributed leaflets to the students and teachers, most of whom gave their names and numbers to the organizers, to stay in contact with us. Two journalists made an interview with Amelia after that for the Swedish TV4. Mrs. Robinson asked them to be sure to identify her as the Vice Chairwoman of the Schiller Institute. One organizer told the journalists that this 96 year American heroine of the Civil Rights movement is not only “still alive,” but that she is here, still fighting with our movement, and she didn’t die with Dr. King in the 60s! This caused the journalists to laugh very nervously before they left.

Amelia at the microphone in a school

Later that same day the organizers went to another high school, where approximately 60 students were waiting for Mrs. Robinson. She had the same “electric“ effect on the students and teachers here, as in the first school. Using a beautiful metaphor, she talked to the students about what the future might bring as opportunities for their lives. In the end she told a story about a man who has a bird and he met two boys who asked him, “Is the bird dead or alive?” He put the bird in his pocket. “As you wish,” he said. Mrs. Robinson said that if the boy were to say “dead,” then the man would break the neck of the bird and kill it; were the boy to say “alive,” he would take his hand out from his pocket, and open it to release the bird. “It is as you wish,” Mrs. Robinson added.

This remarkable woman, strong and inspiring at age 96, is organizing the entire country and is a living example to organizers of the power of organizing with love and wisdom. In both schools, we made contacts and were able to promote the websites to everyone in the audience. Many students and teachers came to the organizers to be sure they had the exact spelling of the websites, and to be sure we would stay in contact with them.

On Wednesday evening, Amelia Robinson appeared on the Channel 4 news program at 7 and 10 pm. On TV4’s website, Amelia’s clip was the most watched for that night and next morning by people who logged into their website. The link is available on our Swedish website now.

History Comes Alive

On Thursday, Mrs. Robinson was again invited to address two schools. The first, Jensens Gymnasium, had to hire a church nearby in order to have enough space for all the students who wanted to attend. Originally, eighty students were scheduled to attend, but there were almost three hundred (300) attendees. The setting was fantastic. Before the students arrived, Mrs. Robinson entered the beautiful church, which is on top of a hill overlooking Stockholm, and the organist was playing. The sponsors asked Mrs. Robinson to wait in the room behind the altar, where the priests usually stay and work. When the time came for her presentation, the bells of the church started to ring! When the bells went silent, the door was opened, Amelia Robinson entered the main hall. Before she entered, you could hear a deafening buzz from the students, but when they saw Mrs. Robinson, the living example of the battle for justice, who personally made history by courageously battling against the tide, walking towards them, the packed church became totally silent! It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. This was the first time this church was packed since last year’s 100th anniversary celebration, when the Queen of Sweden was there. A single chair on a wide carpet was placed for Mrs. Robinson in the center of the round hall in front of the altar, which was fully ordained with lit candles and everything in anticipation of Amelia’s presentation.

Amelia speaking in church

After a short welcome from the political science teacher who invited Amelia Robinson to come, Andreas Persson from the LaRouche Youth Movement introduced the special guest speaker with a short introduction about the Schiller Institute and the LaRouche movement internationally.

The presentation was of historic proportions. This “ambassador of Truth and Beauty” began her presentation by telling the young students to find a mission for their lives, each and every individual of them. She said that the world was in such a terrible shape, and the leadership everywhere is so corrupt, that the youth must get ready to inherit the command of their nation, in Sweden and everywhere else. Mrs. Robinson went through the current situation and connected it so beautifully to the past struggle, that the point went directly to the hearts and minds of the students. Therefore the questions were focused on the current crisis. When one student asked what he should do now, she answered: “Get prepared!” and reiterated that he and others should prepare themselves to become leaders, congressmen, parliamentarians and so on. Another student asked about the Iraq war and whether it was justified to go to another nation and impose anything on them, even if it looked right on the surface. Amelia answered him “no”, and explained why you should respect other nations and their constitutions. She told the students that the real intention behind these wars was to create another British Empire, rather than to spread democracy.

From the Mountaintop

Amelia speaking in church

When a student asked her what she thought about Dr. King’s speech: “I have a dream”. She answered that although she thought it was one of the most beautiful speeches Dr. King gave, however, what stuck in her heart and mind was his last speech, the “Mountaintop” speech. She used that to give the students her idea of immortality, and how when human beings dedicate themselves to a mission of truth they become immortal. She said that Dr. King “rose just a little bit higher with his death”, and that when she thought about it this way, she was never sorry for his departure anymore. She challenged the students to go in his footsteps, and leave their own footprints in history, as she and Lyndon LaRouche have been doing. She told them that Lyndon LaRouche had a “blueprint” for saving the nations, and that people should work with him rather than work against him.

After there were no further questions from the audience, I, (Hussein Askary, chairman of the Swedish branch of the Schiller Institute) was asked to speak. I rose to stand by Amelia Boynton Robinson, and briefed the students about the Kiedrich conference, the financial crisis and the Eurasian Landbridge as a vehicle for achieving peace through economic development, and avoiding a terrible clash of civilizations. I also developed that human rights, social and economic justice are one and the same thing, therefore Amelia’s and Dr. King’s fight should continue today. Amelia commented that the two go together: “like love and marriage and like a horse and carriage.”

All in all, this was one of the most uplifting events we have been to. The students gave a present and flowers to Amelia, and the Church official was so inspired that he gave Amelia a CD with church music recorded in that church. Students were given copies of Amelia’s poems, the Kiedrich declaration and Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr.'s Homeowners and Bank Protection Act. Many of them were rushing back to their school but the teachers and principal stayed for discussion with us about the economic crisis and about Amelia's character, which they were fascinated by. Again, they left their contact info, and one of them took Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr.'s book Earth’s Next Fifty Years.

Later during the day, our honored guest gave a talk in the Stockholm International School, an English-speaking school. And she ripped through the British all the way through. This was a smaller class and the discussion period was cut short. But the principal, an American from New York was pleased with the presentation and may give another invitation.

Amelia filled this country and our hearts with the passion for truth and beauty and courage. This country will never be the same.

Related Links:

Download WAV audio of Mrs. Robinson's speech at Stockholm Meeting (37 MB)

Schiller Institute in Sweden

Amelia Boynton Robinson Featured on Danish TV

Amelia Boynton Robinson Tells Denmark: Listen to the Wise Words Of Lyndon LaRouche

Amelia Robinson Inspires Copenhagen

Århus Stiftstidende Article Online In Danish   
If the link to the article is broken, see our screen captures: (click images below to enlarge)

Danish TV Coverage of Amelia Boynton Robinson


Background Links:

What is the Schiller Institute?

Biography of Amelia Boynton Robinson

Amelia Boynton Robinson Book Excerpt

Spider Martin's Photo Gallery of the Selma to Montgomery, Alabama March

Internet Archive: Details: Civil Right's Heroine: Amelia Robinson in Houston. (Video)
If you are unclear on who Amelia Boynton Robinson is and how important she was and still is to Martin Luther King's civil rights efforts, then consider this a fun and inspiring introduction.

Amelia Robinson on Jim Clark Funeral

Bloody Sunday March Reenactment

Flyer for Amelia Boynton Robinson's Meeting in Boston, February 2007 (PDF)

Amelia Robinson Honored in Italy

Amelia Boynton Robinson Honored in Alabama

Through The Years- January, 1995

August 27, 1993 Celebration of Inalienable Rights of Man