Racial discrimination, South Africa's economic power, its oppression and exploitation of all the black peoples, are part and parcel of the same thing.
Oliver TamboRead
The quest for freedom, dignity, and the rights of man will never end.
Interpretation
The struggle for human rights and dignity is ongoing and never-ending.
William J. Brennan, Jr.'s quote emphasizes the perpetual nature of humanity's pursuit of freedom and dignity. It suggests that these fundamental rights are not merely achieved once but require continuous effort and vigilance from individuals and societies.
In practice
During a speech at a human rights conference, one might quote this to emphasize the ongoing struggle for justice.
Racial discrimination, South Africa's economic power, its oppression and exploitation of all the black peoples, are part and parcel of the same thing.
But say some, would you expose woman to the contact of rough, rude, drinking, swearing, fighting men at the ballot box? What a humiliating confession lies in this plea for keeping woman in the background!
Tomorrow the revolution will 'rise up again, clashing its weapons,' and to your horror it will proclaim with trumpets blazing: I was, I am, I shall be!
Future generations may well have occasion to ask themselves, "What were our parents thinking? Why didn't they wake up when they had a chance?" We have to hear that question from them, now.
It's not about changing people; it's sometimes about changing a situation. How can we build an even better situation for them?
In a summer marked by instability in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, I know the world also took notice of the small American city of Ferguson, Missouri - where a young man was killed, and a community was divided. So yes, we have our own racial and ethnic tensions.
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