You are on the eve of a complete victory. You can't go wrong. The world is behind you.
Josephine BakerRead
Friends, to me for years St. Louis represented a city of fear... humiliation... misery and terror... A city where in the eyes of the white man a Negro should know his place and had better stay in it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Josephine Baker highlights the oppressive atmosphere faced by Black individuals in St. Louis, emphasizing the struggles against racism.
In this powerful quote, Josephine Baker reflects on her experiences in St. Louis, portraying it as a city steeped in fear and humiliation for Black individuals. She conveys the harsh reality of systemic racism, where societal norms dictated that Black people must remain subservient and confined to specific roles, illustrating the significant emotional and psychological toll such oppression took on individuals within that environment.
Themes
RacismOppressionFearCourageNegroIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on racial equality, one could use this quote to emphasize the historical challenges faced by Black individuals in America.
More from Josephine Baker
All quotes →I ran away from St. Louis, and then I ran away from the United States, because of that terror of discrimination.
Josephine BakerRead
I did take the blows [of life], but I took them with my chin up, in dignity, because I so profoundly love and respect humanity.
Josephine BakerRead
You must get an education. You must go to school, and you must learn to protect yourself. And you must learn to protect yourself with the pen, and not the gun.
Josephine BakerRead
I have walked into the palaces of kings and queens and into the houses of presidents. And much more.
Josephine BakerRead
Surely the day will come when color means nothing more than the skin tone, when religion is seen uniquely as a way to speak one's soul; when birth places have the weight of a throw of the dice and all men are born free, when understanding breeds love and brotherhood.
Josephine BakerRead
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