A workplace culture where fathers are encouraged to take paternity leave would result in stronger families, a more equal labour market and a better economy.
We cannot afford to lose talented young black people, who make it to university, overseas, or worse, to let other talented black people be put off by the notion that university is somehow not for them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of supporting young black individuals in pursuing higher education and combating negative perceptions about university access.
David Lammy's quote highlights the critical issue of retaining and encouraging talented young black individuals in their pursuit of higher education. It stresses that society must challenge and change the narrative that suggests university is unattainable or not meant for them. By doing so, we not only preserve the potential of those already on the path to graduation but also inspire future generations to pursue their educational aspirations without doubt.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
A speaker addressing a group of students at a college orientation.
More from David Lammy
All quotes →People don't contest that I'm British as a black man, but they do contest that I'm English. Too many people are going back to an ethnocentric idea of what being English means.
The idea of a family sitting round the kitchen table and carefully planning their future family size based on the certainty of years to come is a complete fantasy. Back in the real world, jobs are lost, livelihoods taken away, families break apart, partners leave or pass away.
Many black youths are defying stereotypes, achieving good academic results, finding employment and contributing to their communities. But helping those who fall behind is not an exercise in political correctness, it is a precisely what a compassionate - and sensible - state should concern itself with.
Like many black men growing up in London, I have been stopped and searched by several policemen. I was 12 years old when I was first groped and frisked by police for walking down the road. It terrified me so much I wet myself.
Dads are not a risk to be managed, but a resource to be used for the benefit of the whole family.
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If you're last in your class at Harvard, it doesn't feel like you're a good student, even though you really are. It's not smart for everyone to want to go to a great school.
A week of camp life is worth six months of theoretical teaching in the meeting room.
When you wish to instruct, be brief; that men's [children's] minds take in quickly what you say, learn its lesson, and retain it faithfully. Every word that is unnecessary only pours over the side of a brimming mind.