Being able to live without having to be defined by your skin color is the hallmark of privilege.
Luvvie AjayiRead
I feel like my career is to speak truth to power, and a lot of times, that sounds like troublemaking. If speaking truth is troublemaking, then yes, I will consider myself a professional at that.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Speaking truth to power can lead to conflict, but it's a necessary part of advocating for change.
In this quote, Luvvie Ajayi emphasizes the importance of confronting authority and expressing uncomfortable truths, even if it leads to being perceived as a troublemaker. She embraces the idea that her role is to challenge those in power by speaking honestly, suggesting that such honesty is crucial to fostering accountability and social progress.
Themes
TruthPowerCourageAdvocacyChange
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a motivational talk about standing up for what is right.
More from Luvvie Ajayi
All quotes →Through my school years, I learned more about slavery, anti-black racism, and oppression in the U.S., and my blackness could no longer be an afterthought. I started wearing it proudly, and as my consciousness deepened, so did my love for black folks.
Luvvie AjayiRead
You can be tweeting strangers and saying, 'Don't say that,' but are you saying that to your friends? How about your mom? Your boyfriend at the dinner table who says something homophobic? If you're not saying the same things in person that you're saying online, then what are your tweets doing?
Luvvie AjayiRead
When people say things like, 'Oh, I can't find black or brown whatever position it is,' I wanted to be clear that we exist in droves. When I tell people, 'Hey, share your work, share your LinkedIn,' it's with the ultimate goal that somebody on that thread gets hired, or something positive happens.
Luvvie AjayiRead
Being conscious of Global Blackness is knowing that we are not an island of our struggle but a nation of our triumphs. That's blackness to me.
Luvvie AjayiRead
The most glaring aspect of white privilege is that when someone is described neutrally - without indicating color or ethnicity - more often than not, people will assume that the person is white. That assumption indicates an uncomfortable truth: in our society, whiteness determines humanity.
Luvvie AjayiRead
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