In our patriarchal world, we are all taught - whether we like to think we are or not - that God, being male, values maleness much more than he values femaleness... that in order to propitiate God, women must propitiate men.
Sonia JohnsonRead
There has been only one war fought literally worldwide, affecting every living thing, and that has been men's all-out, non-stop, millennia-long war against women, a war that not only continues to this moment without the slightest abatement but intensifies hourly.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the ongoing struggle for women's rights and gender equality as a profound societal issue.
Sonia Johnson's quote powerfully underscores the historical and persistent nature of gender inequality, likening it to a war that affects not only women but all of humanity. It emphasizes the urgent need to recognize and combat the systemic oppression women face, which, rather than diminishing, seems to grow more intense with each passing moment.
In practice
During a women's rights rally, this quote can be used to inspire activism.
In our patriarchal world, we are all taught - whether we like to think we are or not - that God, being male, values maleness much more than he values femaleness... that in order to propitiate God, women must propitiate men.
Let us march immediately, and never lay down our arms until we obtain our independence.
Being a survivor doesn't mean being strong - it's telling people when you need a meal or a ride, company, whatever. It's paying attention to heart wisdom, feelings, not living a role, but having a unique, authentic life, having something to contribute, finding time to love and laugh. All these things are qualities of survivors.
It was rough being dark. I got heat from my own people more than anyone else. I remember going to my mom and saying, 'Why am I so black?' And she said, 'Because I'm black. You just gotta always work harder than the average bear.'
The biggest mistake sometimes is to play things very safe in this life and end up being moral failures.
At some point, you just pull off the Band-Aid, and it hurts, but then it's over and you're relieved.
I'm not going to change the way I look or the way I feel to conform to anything. I've always been a freak. So I've been a freak all my life and I have to live with that, you know. I'm one of those people.
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