Down South, there was the old 'ladies-don't-do-such-things' way of thinking. You couldn't be a lady and a good athlete at the same time.
Wilma RudolphRead
I know black women in Tennessee who have worked all their lives, from the time they were twelve years old to the day they died. These women don't listen to the women's liberation rhetoric because they know that it's nothing but a bunch of white women who had certain life-styles and who want to change those life-styles.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the different struggles faced by black women compared to the mainstream women's liberation movement.
Wilma Rudolph highlights the lifelong hard work and resilience of black women in Tennessee, contrasting their experiences with the women's liberation movement, which she believes primarily reflects the concerns of white women from privileged backgrounds. This distinction calls attention to the importance of recognizing diverse perspectives and the specific realities of marginalized groups within broader social movements.
Themes
Black WomenHard WorkWomen'S LiberationDiversityResilience
In practice
Example use cases
A speaker at a conference on social justice may quote this when discussing the different experiences of race in feminist movements.
More from Wilma Rudolph
All quotes →When I was going through my transition of being famous, I tried to ask God, why was I here? What was my purpose? Surely, it wasn't just to win three gold medals. There has to be more to this life than that.
Wilma RudolphRead
When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome.
Wilma RudolphRead
You become world famous, and you sit with kings and queens, and then your first job is just a job. You can't go back to living the way you did before because you've been taken out of one setting and shown the other. That becomes a struggle and makes you struggle.
Wilma RudolphRead
The triumph can't be had without the struggle.
Wilma RudolphRead
I don't know why I run so fast. I just run.
Wilma RudolphRead
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