We have defeated Jim Crow, but now we have to deal with his son, James Crow Jr., esquire.
Al SharptonRead
We're not willing to give black leaders second chances because, in most cases, we're not willing to give them first chances.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the systemic bias against Black leaders in receiving opportunities and support.
Al Sharpton emphasizes the unfairness faced by Black leaders who often do not receive initial opportunities to prove their capabilities, let alone the chance to redeem themselves after mistakes. This reflects a broader issue of racial inequality and the challenges that marginalized leaders encounter in leadership roles.
In practice
During a panel discussion on diversity in leadership roles, this quote could be used to emphasize the need for equitable chances.
We have defeated Jim Crow, but now we have to deal with his son, James Crow Jr., esquire.
The horrific cases in Ferguson, in Staten Island with the death of Eric Garner, and all across the country serve as stark reminders that we must have a say in who polices us, and how that policing is done. We must, we must, let our voices be heard on Election Day.
It is up to us to change laws on the books like 'Stand Your Ground' laws and push elected officials to enact regulations that hold police officers to the same standards as the rest of society. This is why we vote.
As I stood and gave the eulogy for young Michael Brown last week, I kept thinking about the fact that this child should have been in college instead of laying in a coffin.
If companies can refuse to provide coverage for women, what other objections to the Affordable Care Act will we see based on 'religious grounds'? For that matter, will 'religious freedom' be used as an excuse to discriminate against other minorities and disenfranchised groups across the board? Where will it end?
Perhaps, therefore, it is odd that if there is any one phrase that is guaranteed to set me off it's when someone says to me, 'OK, fine. You're the boss!' What irks me is that in 90% of such instances what that person is really saying is, 'OK, then, I don't agree with you, but I'll roll over and do it because you're telling me to. But if it doesn't work out I'll be the first to remind everyone that it wasn't my idea.'
Discipline is the soul of an army.
When the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak, the result is insubordination. When the officers are too strong and the common soldiers too weak, the result is collapse.
Women still have an uneasy relationship with power and the traits necessary to be a leader. There is this internalized fear that if we are really powerful, we are going to be considered ruthless or pushy or strident - all of those epithets that strike right at our femininity. We are still working at trying to overcome the fear that power and womanliness are mutually exclusive.
I go to the chair of government with feelings not unlike those of a culprit who is going to the place of his execution.
Working together on solving something requires a high level of humility and a high level of self-awareness.
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