When a country doesn't respect Black lives, maybe it doesn't deserve to be entertained by Black athletes.
The thirst for liberation and equality can never come at the expense of dehumanizing other marginalized groups - especially at a time when hate crimes against Jews have increased significantly.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The pursuit of freedom and equality should not lead to the oppression of others, particularly during times of heightened hate crimes.
Jemele Hill emphasizes the moral imperative to ensure that the struggle for liberation and equality does not turn into a justification for dehumanizing other marginalized groups. She highlights the critical importance of solidarity and compassion, particularly in a societal context where certain groups, like Jewish communities, are facing increasing violence and discrimination. This quote serves as a reminder that true justice must be inclusive and considerate of all marginalized identities.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about social justice movements, one could use this quote to stress the importance of inclusivity.
More from Jemele Hill
All quotes βIt's something most people of color and most women have been burdened with their whole lives, having to suppress your natural emotion to make everybody else feel comfortable. Repeatedly having to do that takes its toll.
Race impacts 90 percent of our society - and I'm probably undershooting that figure. I find this fascinating and like to address it when pertinent.
Yes, I do realize that men in sports media also face criticism and backlash, but the vitriol that is directed at women, especially women of color, is far more severe.
America hasn't been able to grapple with the uncomfortable reality that police brutality is encoded in this country's DNA.
There's a long history and a pattern of Black athletes - and Black people, period - being told to shut up and accept whatever it is they're given.
Similar quotes
It is devastating that jail is seen as a rite of passage for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, part of the natural order of things. It is an outrage that there is an attitude that this is normal. This is not normal. We can't shrug our shoulders and say this is just a 'fact of life' in remote Australia.
Far less wealthy industrialized countries have committed to end child poverty, while the United States is sliding backwards. We can do better. We must demand that our leaders do better.
We're willing to spend countless dollars putting people who need help in cages, and then when they get out we say you can't have a job, and you can't have housing, and because you don't have either, we're going to take your kids, too.
What I think is different today is the lack of political connection between the black middle class and the increasing numbers of black people who are more impoverished than ever before.
Facebook captures examples of inequality and makes them available for endless replay. Twitter links the voiceless to newsmakers. Instagram immortalizes the faces and consequences of discrimination. Isolated cruelties are yoked into a powerful narrative of marginalization that spurs a common cause.
We have a deeply rooted misconception in our country that unhoused people have done something to deserve their conditions - when the reality is that unhoused people are living the consequences of our government's failure to secure the basic necessities people need to survive.