Even as someone who's labeled a conservative - I'm a Republican I'm black, I'm heading up this organization in the Reagan administration - I can say that conservatives don't exactly break their necks to tell blacks that they're welcome.
We've talked more about civil rights after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 than we talked about it before 1964.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 sparked more discussions about civil rights than ever before, highlighting its significance in American society.
Clarence Thomas reflects on the profound impact that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had on the conversation surrounding civil rights in the United States. Before this pivotal legislation, discussions on civil rights were limited, but the Act not only addressed issues of discrimination and inequality but also galvanized public discourse and awareness, leading to a greater understanding and recognition of civil rights issues in America.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of legislation in shaping societal values.
More from Clarence Thomas
All quotes βGood manners will open doors that the best education cannot.
I was Catholic. You talk about a minority within a minority within a minority: a black Catholic in Savannah, GA.
When I was a kid, we said that we were precluded from going to certain neighborhoods because of the color of our skin Now the neighborhoods are the neighborhoods of ideas, youre not supposed to be there because of the color of your skin.
The myths that are created about the South, about the way we grew up, about black people, are wrong.
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It becomes more necessary to see the truth as it is if you realise that the only vehicle for change are these people who have lost their personality. The first step therefore is to make the black man come to himself; to pump back life into his empty shell; to infuse him with pride and dignity, to remind him of his complicity in the crime of allowing himself to be misused and therefore letting evil reign supreme in the country of his birth.
When it comes to dealing with the world's climate and energy challenges, I have a simple rule: change America, change the world.
The power of effecting changes for the better is within ourselves, not in the favorableness of circumstances.
You should never hesitate to trade your cow for a handful of magic beans.
What happened to the world was gradual. I've forgotten what it actually was, but I have faint, fetal memories of what it was like. A smoldering dread that never really caught fire till there wasn't much left to burn. Each sequential step surprised us. Then one day we woke up, and everything was gone.
In the 1970s, girls didn't do anything. It wasn't their fault. For me and the other working-class girls I hung around with, our route was plotted - you were a secretary and a wife. I wanted to hitchhike around the world, go on motorbikes, be in bands.