Most blacks will argue that they excel because of hard work, because of intellect, determination, sweat, blood, tears and risk.
I am - Somebody. I may be poor, but I am - Somebody! I may be on welfare, but I am - Somebody! I may be uneducated, but I am - Somebody! I must be, I'm God's child. I must be respected and protected. I am black and I am beautiful! I am - Somebody! Soul Power!
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the inherent dignity and worth of every individual, regardless of their circumstances.
Jesse Jackson's quote asserts that every person possesses intrinsic value and deserves respect, regardless of social status, education, or economic condition. It highlights a powerful message of self-affirmation and personal identity, celebrating the beauty and worth of being oneself, while calling for acknowledgment and respect from society. The phrase 'I am - Somebody!' serves as an empowering declaration against societal marginalization, reinforcing that one's identity and humanity are to be recognized and celebrated.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a speech to inspire young students about self-worth and respect.
More from Jesse Jackson
All quotes →Hold your head high, stick your chest out. You can make it. It gets dark sometimes, but morning comes. Keep hope alive.
His foreparents came to America in immigrant ships. My foreparents came to America in slave ships. But whatever the original ships, we are both in the same boat tonight.
Leaders must be tough enough to fight, tender enough to cry, human enough to make mistakes, humble enough to admit them, strong enough to absorb the pain, and resilient enough to bounce back and keep on moving.
Look at the coded language the Right is using against President Barack Obama. Openly calling him a liar in Congress, saying he is 'not a Christian, he was not born here, he is not one of us.' That makes addressing such issues trickier for the first African-American in the White House.
Many are observing Ferguson and witnessing the anger, demonstrations, looting and vandalism and calling for quiet. But quiet isn't enough. The absence of noise isn't the presence of justice - and we must demand justice in Ferguson and the other 'Fergusons' around America.
Similar quotes
I'd like to say I'm ready to kick ass and show the guys how it's done. But I'm not here to prove anything about being a woman. I'm here to drive a race car and try to win a race.
It was the 31st of August in 1962 that eighteen of us traveled twenty-six miles to the county courthouse in Indianola to try to register to become first-class citizens. We was met in Indianola by policemen, Highway Patrolmen, and they only allowed two of us in to take the literacy test at the time.
You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.
You've heard of animals chewing off a leg to escape a trap? There's an animal kind of trick. A human would remain in the trap, endure the pain, feigning death that he might kill the trapper and remove a threat to his kind.
Out of doubt, out of dark to the day's rising I came singing into the sun, sword unsheathing. To hope's end I rode and to heart's breaking: Now for wrath, now for ruin and a red nightfall!
I will not deny but that the best apology against false accusers is silence and sufferance, and honest deeds set against dishonest words.