For immigrant women, fighting for some of the standard platforms of the women's movement may feel unthinkable when deportation is staring you in the face every day.
I am not a woman on Monday, an immigrant on Tuesday, a worker on Wednesday, and a mom on Thursday, I am all of those things all of the time, and I am going to fight for all of those things all of the time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the multifaceted identity of an individual and the commitment to advocate for all aspects of that identity without compartmentalization.
Pramila Jayapal's quote speaks to the complexity and intersectionality of identity, illustrating that people are not defined by singular roles or categories. Instead, it affirms that one's identity encompasses various aspects, such as gender, immigration status, profession, and parenthood, all of which deserve equal recognition and advocacy simultaneously. This serves as a powerful reminder of the need for inclusive representation and the importance of fighting for justice across all dimensions of one's life.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a keynote speech about diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
More from Pramila Jayapal
All quotes →Having a strong race lens means you understand racism is threaded through and institutionalized in all of our systems and our very perceptions, threaded through how someone looks at you, treats you, thinks about you and your potential.
If there is one thing that resonates for women, it is that regardless of where we come from or what we look like, we want to be fully recognized for the breadth of our contributions.
Every hour that goes by with family separation policies in effect is another hour that mothers weep thinking of their children, another hour that kids are fearfully wondering where their parents have been taken, another hour that trauma deepens.
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It seemed to me the way it must feel to people who cut themselves on purpose. Not pretty, but clean. Not good, but void of regret. I was trying to heal. Trying to get the bad out of my system so I could be good again. To cure me of myself.
Choose to chance the rapids and dare to dance the tide.
Let me remind you that you have a two-fold task to perform. With the force of arms and at the cost of your blood you will have to win liberty. Then, when India is free, you will have to organize the permanent army of Free India, whose task it will be to preserve our liberty for all time. We must build up our national defense on such an unshakable foundation that never again in our history shall we lose our freedom.
Stand up like a mountain; have faith like a rock; love like an avalanche
You will have to make up for the smallness of your size by your courage and selfless devotion to duty, for it is not life that matters, but the courage, fortitude and determination you bring to it.
When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat, and despair are the tools God uses to show us the way.