I'm against genocide. I'm against fascism. I'm willing to fight against them so that, in that sense, I think one can still be committed to justice and committed to peace but recognize the circumstances under which one does have to fight.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of standing up against injustice while still advocating for peace.
Cornel West expresses a stance that, while one must aspire to justice and peace, there are situations—such as genocide and fascism—where it becomes necessary to actively fight against oppressive forces. He highlights that commitment to justice does not negate the willingness to confront severe injustices head-on, suggesting that true peace may sometimes require the courage to engage in struggle.
In practice
In a speech advocating for social justice, this quote can be used to justify the need for activism in the face of oppression.
King's response to our crisis can be put in one word: revolution. A revolution in our priorities, a reevaluation of our values, a reinvigoration of our public life and a fundamental transformation of our way of thinking and living that promotes a transfer of power from oligarchs and plutocrats to everyday people and ordinary citizens.
You've got to love yourself enough, not only so that others will be able to love you, but that you'll be able to love others.
Profound music leads us beyond language...to the dark roots of our scream and the celestial heights of our silence.
And when I talk about love, I'm talking about something that's great, though, brother. I'm talking about something that will sustain you.
Clever gimmicks of mass distraction yield a cheap soulcraft of addicted and self-medicated narcissists.
I feel as if I have been blessed to undergo a transformation from 'gangster' to 'redeemed sinner with gangster proclivities.'
Duty, Honor, Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a socialist.
Where we come from does not determine who we can become. What we look like places no limits on what we can achieve. We should all have the right to express ourselves, all have the right to be heard, all have the right to be what we can be: To reach for the sky and touch the stars. No matter who we are, no matter whether we are man or woman, or rich or poor: _x000D_ My voice, my right. My voice counts.
Go back?" he thought. "No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!" So up he got, and trotted along with his little sword held in front of him and one hand feeling the wall, and his heart all of a patter and a pitter.
Slaves do not always welcome their deliverers. They become accustomed to being slaves. They would rather gear those ills they have
And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?
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