“Tradition also is foundation, the indispensable foundation upon which are raised other cultural constructions. As an African proverb says, ‘no matter how high a house is built it must stand on something.’ And that ‘something,’ that foundation, is tradition. Another way to put this is that tradition as foundation is a source of position. It gives a person or people a standpoint, a vantage point from which to discover and speak their own special truth to the world. Tradition, furthermore, is a source and measure of authenticity. One’s genuineness, truthfulness to one’s history and humanity is discovered and measured in the truthfulness to one’s core culture or tradition.”

-Dr. Maulana Karenga