It's something most people of color and most women have been burdened with their whole lives, having to suppress your natural emotion to make everybody else feel comfortable. Repeatedly having to do that takes its toll.
When a country doesn't respect Black lives, maybe it doesn't deserve to be entertained by Black athletes.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote advocates for the respect of Black lives and suggests that a lack of respect may disqualify a country from enjoying the contributions of Black athletes.
Jemele Hill's quote emphasizes the importance of recognizing and respecting Black lives within a society. It implies that if a country fails to honor the dignity and rights of its Black citizens, then it should reconsider the privileges it takes for granted, such as enjoying the entertainment provided by Black athletes. The quote serves as a call to accountability, urging society to reflect on its values and actions before demanding the participation and talents of marginalized communities.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech addressing inequality in sports, you might say, 'As Jemele Hill stated, when a country doesn't respect Black lives, it doesn't deserve to enjoy Black athletes.'
More from Jemele Hill
All quotes βRace impacts 90 percent of our society - and I'm probably undershooting that figure. I find this fascinating and like to address it when pertinent.
Yes, I do realize that men in sports media also face criticism and backlash, but the vitriol that is directed at women, especially women of color, is far more severe.
America hasn't been able to grapple with the uncomfortable reality that police brutality is encoded in this country's DNA.
There's a long history and a pattern of Black athletes - and Black people, period - being told to shut up and accept whatever it is they're given.
The thirst for liberation and equality can never come at the expense of dehumanizing other marginalized groups - especially at a time when hate crimes against Jews have increased significantly.
Similar quotes
When you ask people to name victims of police brutality, for the most part, nobody will give you a woman's name.
The USA has more people in prison that any other country, including countries with much larger populations. 13% of the population is black but 80% of the people in prison are black, mostly for soft crimes.
If the market is left to sort matters out, social injustice will be heightened and suffering in the community will grow with the neglect the market fosters.
We're criminalizing economic inability to stay out of the system. Women get penalized more than men for the same crime; blacks get penalized more than whites for the same crime. We need to bring out more into the light, because it's not fair... I applaud Colin Kaepernick for speaking out.
'The Accursed' is very much a novel about social injustice as the consequence of the terrible, tragic division of classes - the exploitation not only of poor and immigrant workers but of their young children in factories and mills - and as the consequence of race hatred in the aftermath of the Civil War and the freeing of the slaves.
Facebook captures examples of inequality and makes them available for endless replay. Twitter links the voiceless to newsmakers. Instagram immortalizes the faces and consequences of discrimination. Isolated cruelties are yoked into a powerful narrative of marginalization that spurs a common cause.