There will be those who will tell you that you can't make it because of how you look, because of the way you talk. We all have heard that - I almost listened.
Douglas WilderRead
Slavery is nothing to joke about. The history of this nation's involvement with slavery is nothing to pass off in a joke.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the seriousness of slavery and criticizes making light of its historical significance.
Douglas Wilder's quote underscores the gravity of slavery as a historical issue and warns against trivializing it through humor. By pointing out that the nation's past involvement with slavery should not be treated casually or joked about, he highlights the need for deep reflection and respect for the suffering endured by many. This perspective advocates for a serious understanding of history and its impact on society today.
Themes
SlaveryHistorySeriousnessRespectReflection
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech addressing social justice, one might say, 'As Douglas Wilder reminds us, slavery is nothing to joke about, and we must acknowledge its impact on our society.'
More from Douglas Wilder
All quotes βSimilar quotes
Poland was the racial laboratory of the Nazis. This is where they started to put their abhorrent theories into practice.
Norman DaviesRead
I think what we should do as historians is understand. And we can have our own views about how things turned out, but I think, in making judgements, we're getting into tricky territory.
Margaret MacmillanRead
After Nixon resigned in 1974, he engaged in a very aggressive war with history, attempting to wipe out the Watergate stain and memory. Happily, history won, largely because of Nixon's tapes.
Bob WoodwardRead
I was 21 and looking for work in 1932, one of the worst years of the Great Depression. And I can remember one bleak night in the thirties when my father learned on Christmas Eve that he'd lost his job. To be young in my generation was to feel that your future had been mortgaged out from under you, and that's a tragic mistake we must never allow our leaders to make again.
Ronald ReaganRead
It takes a willful disregard of history to appreciate how white Southerners could look at the Confederate battle flag and see states' rights or a way of life or a tradition - and not one human being whipping another, which was a common occurrence.
Richard CohenRead
To forget a Holocaust is to kill twice
Elie WieselRead