When Dr. King was murdered, I had no idea who he was. But as soon as I heard his words on television that night when I was 9 years old, I was dumbstruck, awestruck by their power.
Interpretation
The speaker reflects on the profound impact of Dr. King's words upon first hearing them, highlighting their transformative power.
Michael Eric Dyson recalls the moment he first encountered the powerful words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Despite being unaware of who Dr. King was at the time, the speaker was deeply moved by the strength and resonance of his message. This underscores the idea that great words can transcend the moment and create lasting impressions on individuals, even when they are initially unaware of the context or significance behind them.
In practice
During a school assembly discussing civil rights, this quote can inspire students to understand the importance of powerful speeches.
Hip hop scholarship must strive to reflect the form it interrogates, offering the same features as the best hip hop: seductive rhythms, throbbing beats, intelligent lyrics, soulful samples, and a sense of joy that is never exhausted in one sitting.
Oprah Winfrey represents the most ingenious and creative expression of black spiritual genius in the public mainstream that we've had in quite a long time, if ever.
My ambition didn't grow out of nowhere. It was planted in me by a community that nurtured me.
I grew up in Detroit. I was a teen father. I lived on welfare for three years. I have a brother serving life in prison, though I believe he's innocent.
George Bush ran a campaign where he bragged about being an anti-intellectual, dismissing his Harvard and Yale pedigree, pretending he was an American every day, ordinary everyman, and as a result of that, played up his fumbling speech because it signified that he was a good guy. That is deeply and profoundly anti-intellectual.
Charity is no substitute for justice. If we never challenge a social order that allows some to accumulate wealth--even if they decide to help the less fortunate--while others are short-changed, then even acts of kindness end up supporting unjust arrangements. We must never ignore the injustices that make charity necessary, or the inequalities that make it possible.
Grant what thou commandest and then command what thou wilt.
For pain must enter into its glorified life of memory before it can turn into compassion.
Be still, sad heart! and cease repining; Behind the clouds is the sun still shining; Thy fate is the common fate of all, Into each life some rain must fall
Reality is easy. It's deception that's the hard work.
The abundance of our lives is not determined by how long we live, but how well we live. Christ makes abundant life possible if we choose to live it now.
When you have the facts on your side, argue the facts. When you have the law on your side, argue the law. When you have neither, holler.
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