Never to forget where we came from and always praise the bridges that carried us over.
Fannie Lou HamerRead
They - you know, when we walked in - when I walked in with the two white men that had carried me down - and they cursed me all the way down. They would ask me questions, and when I would try to answer, they would tell me to hush.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the struggle against oppression and the courage to speak out despite adversity.
Fannie Lou Hamer's quote speaks to the deep injustices faced by marginalized individuals, particularly during the civil rights movement. It highlights the hostility and disrespect encountered when attempting to assert oneself, illustrating the struggle for dignity and the right to be heard amidst systemic oppression and racial discrimination. Hamer's experiences serve both as a personal testimony and a broader commentary on the fight for equality and justice.
Themes
CourageOppressionActivismCivil RightsVoice
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on civil rights, one might use this quote to underscore the importance of speaking out against injustice.
More from Fannie Lou Hamer
All quotes →You can pray until you faint, but unless you get up and try to do something, God is not going to put it in your lap.
Fannie Lou HamerRead
People have got to get together and work together. I'm tired of the kind of oppression that white people have inflicted on us and are still trying to inflict.
Fannie Lou HamerRead
One day, I know the struggle will change. There's got to be a change - not only for Mississippi, not only for the people in the United States, but people all over the world.
Fannie Lou HamerRead
Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where we have to sleep with our telephones off the hooks because our lives be threatened daily, because we want to live as decent human beings in America?
Fannie Lou HamerRead
I was forced away from the plantation because I wouldn't go back and withdraw, you know, my literacy test after I had tried to take it. I wouldn't go back.
Fannie Lou HamerRead
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