We're not willing to give black leaders second chances because, in most cases, we're not willing to give them first chances.
Al SharptonRead
We have defeated Jim Crow, but now we have to deal with his son, James Crow Jr., esquire.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the ongoing struggle against systemic racism and the need for continued vigilance in addressing its modern manifestations.
Al Sharpton's quote addresses the idea that while significant progress has been made in overcoming the institutionalized racism of Jim Crow laws, new, subtler forms of discrimination continue to persist. By referencing 'James Crow Jr., esquire,' Sharpton emphasizes that the fight for racial equality is not over and that contemporary issues require a new understanding and strategy to combat ongoing injustices.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech during a civil rights march to highlight ongoing challenges.
We're not willing to give black leaders second chances because, in most cases, we're not willing to give them first chances.
The horrific cases in Ferguson, in Staten Island with the death of Eric Garner, and all across the country serve as stark reminders that we must have a say in who polices us, and how that policing is done. We must, we must, let our voices be heard on Election Day.
It is up to us to change laws on the books like 'Stand Your Ground' laws and push elected officials to enact regulations that hold police officers to the same standards as the rest of society. This is why we vote.
As I stood and gave the eulogy for young Michael Brown last week, I kept thinking about the fact that this child should have been in college instead of laying in a coffin.
If companies can refuse to provide coverage for women, what other objections to the Affordable Care Act will we see based on 'religious grounds'? For that matter, will 'religious freedom' be used as an excuse to discriminate against other minorities and disenfranchised groups across the board? Where will it end?
I think thereβs a mythology that if you want to change the world, you have to be sainted, like Mother Teresa or Nelson Mandela or Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Ordinary people with lives that go up and down and around in circles can still contribute to change.
What I am very, very moved and struck by is that so many people in the world are often living a life that they hadn't planned for themselves. And they wake up one day and say, 'Hang on. Who am I? Is this really me? Is this what I really wanted?' And also, 'Can I change it? Have I got the courage to change it?'
Left unchecked, climate change risks not only making the poorest poorer, but pulling the emerging middle classes back into poverty, too.
To be hopeful means to be uncertain about the future, to be tender toward possibilities, to be dedicated to change all the way down to the bottom of your heart.
The Berlin Wall wasn't the only barrier to fall after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. Traditional barriers to the flow of money, trade, people and ideas also fell.
If I can be in a place where my image is encouraging people to see different people behind the camera, and my image and the images I make can help open up a certain world view, I think that's all a part of a larger spirit of change and progress, and I'm happy to be part of it.
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