If the society today allows wrongs to go unchallenged, the impression is created that those wrongs have the approval of the majority.
Interpretation
Challenging wrongs in society is essential to prevent approval of negative behaviors by silence.
Barbara Jordan emphasizes the importance of actively addressing injustices in society. When wrongdoings are ignored or left unchallenged, it sends a message that such actions are accepted or even endorsed by the majority, which can perpetuate a culture of injustice. Therefore, it is crucial for individuals to speak out against wrongs to foster a society that stands for what is right.
In practice
In a speech about social justice, you could use this quote to highlight the need for activism.
Let's all understand that these guiding principles cannot be discarded for short-term political gains. They represent what this country is all about. They are indigenous to the American idea. And these are principles which are not negotiable.
We want to be in control of our lives. Whether we are jungle fighters, craftsmen, company men, gamesmen, we want to be in control. And when the government erodes that control, we are not comfortable.
What we have to do is strike a balance between the idea that government should do everything and the idea, the belief, that government ought to do nothing. Strike a balance.
My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total, and I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminuation, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution. It is reason and not passion which must guide our deliberations, guide our debate, and guide our decision.
Americanization means the process of becoming an American. It means civic incorporation, becoming a part of the polity - becoming one of us. But that does not mean conformity. We are more than a melting pot, we are a kaleidoscope, where every turn of history refracts new light on the old promise.
We cannot improve on the system of government handed down to us by the founders of the Republic. There is no way to improve upon that. But what we can do is to find new ways to implement that system and realize our destiny.
I am probably an outsider because I challenge conventional narratives about who should have a seat at the table.
With reasonable men, I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to tyrants I will give no quarter, nor waste arguments where they will certainly be lost.
The thought that I might kill myself formed in my mind coolly as a tree or a flower.
Never forget that the most political thing you can ever do is follow your heart.
I was scared before every battle. That old instinct of self-preservation is a pretty basic thing, but while the action was going on some part of my mind shut off and my training and discipline took over. I did what I had to do.
Self-censorship is insulting to the self. Timidity is a hopeless way forward.
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