History suggests that the disillusioned and the disaffected do not readily take to the streets nor man the barricades to defend a system that failed to defend them.
David OlusogaRead
Our national history cannot be national if, in the near future, one in three young adults feels their stories remain untold, if this country's long global history of empire and interconnections is marginalised and if the historical reality of race is rendered almost invisible.
Interpretation
What this quote means
National history should encompass the diverse experiences of all its people, especially marginalized groups.
David Olusoga's quote emphasizes the necessity of acknowledging the untold stories of young adults within the national narrative. He argues that true national history cannot be complete if it overlooks the complexities of race, the impact of empire, and the interconnectedness of diverse experiences, ultimately calling for a more inclusive understanding of history that reflects the realities of all citizens.
Themes
HistoryNational IdentityRaceEmpireInclusion
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about education disparities, one might cite this quote to highlight the importance of inclusive history education.
More from David Olusoga
All quotes →No matter that you're a British citizen, no matter that you were born here - your skin colour means you do not have the same rights as others to express critical opinions about your own country.
David OlusogaRead
Public buildings, built from the rates and taxes paid by past generations, are being auctioned off by impoverished councils who need the money to pay the redundancies of workers they can no longer afford to employ. Many of these grand Victorian buildings will be turned into flats that most people will never be able to afford.
David OlusogaRead
Black history is a series of missing chapters from British history. I'm trying to put those bits back in.
David OlusogaRead
We nonchalantly expect that next year's smartphone will be faster and better than this year's, yet we struggle to imagine that society and our lives could progress at anything like the pace at which technology advances and we meekly accept it when things go backwards.
David OlusogaRead
Racism is a belief system. It was assembled over centuries from many component parts - bits of biblical scripture, the propaganda of the slave-owning lobby and the pseudo-science of academics working in universities in Europe and America.
David OlusogaRead
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...They cannot escape their history any more than you yourself can lose your shadow.
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Momma said that ghosts couldn't move over water. That's why Africans got trapped in the Americas.. They kept moving us over the water, stealing us away from our ghosts and ancestors, who cried salty rivers into the sand. That's where Momma was now, wailing at the water's edge, while her girls were pulled out of sight under white sails that cracked in the wind.
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