When you hate, the only person that suffers is you because most of the people you hate don't know it and the rest don't care.
The Negro has been here in America since 1619, a total of 344 years. He is not going anywhere else; this country is his home. He wants to do his part to help make his city, state, and nation a better place for everyone, regardless of color and race.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the belonging and commitment of African Americans to the United States and their desire for equality and betterment of society.
Medgar Evers articulates the long-standing presence of African Americans in the United States and highlights the idea that they are an integral part of the nation. He asserts that despite historical oppression, Black Americans seek to contribute positively to their communities and the country as a whole, advocating for unity and equality among all races. This statement calls for recognition of their rights and their role in the collective upliftment of society.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a speech addressing racial equality and justice.
More from Medgar Evers
All quotes →As long as God gives me strength to work and try to make things real for my children, I'm going to work for it - even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice.
First it was the whites, and then their Negro message bearers. And the word was always the same: 'Tell your sons to take their names off the books. Don't show up at the courthouse voting day.'
It may sound funny, but I love the South. I don't choose to live anywhere else. There's land here, where a man can raise cattle, and I'm going to do it some day.
The gifts of God should be enjoyed by all citizens in Mississippi.
The six of us gathered at my house, and we walked to the polls. I'll never forget it. Not a Negro was on the streets, and when we got to the courthouse, the clerk said he wanted to talk with us. When we got into his office, some 15 or 20 armed white men surged in behind us - men I had grown up with, had played with.
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For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes (Matthew 5). But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course, that's Moses, not Jesus. I haven't heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere. "Blessed are the merciful" in a courtroom? "Blessed are the peacemakers" in the Pentagon? Give me a break!
The trifling economy of paper, as a cheaper medium, or its convenience for transmission, weighs nothing in opposition to the advantages of the precious metals it is liable to be abused, has been, is, and forever will be abused, in every country in which it is permitted.
There is a wolf in me... - I keep this wolf because the wilderness gave it to me and the wilderness will not let it go.
Philosophy makes progress not by becoming more rigorous but by becoming more imaginative.