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Quote by Jimmy Santiago Baca

“I believe it's our responsibility as citizens to get in there and not accept the constant failure of prisons to deal with racism, lack of privilege, and impoverishment - not accept any of that. Just get in there!”

Quote by Jimmy Santiago Baca

Author

Jimmy Santiago Baca

Born on January 2, 1952, Jimmy Santiago Baca is a renowned poet whose work vividly portrays the life of the American Latinx community, particularly the experiences of Mexican Americans. Baca's poetry is known for its strong emotions and profound insights, often exploring themes of race, class, and social justice. more

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“Understanding is the key to everything. To rage, fear, love. If you understand a situation, it's going to make you mad. Or it's going to make you feel fearful. If any of us even had a clue as to what Bush and those people were up to, we'd be running stark crazy mad out of fear.”

People Ifs Feels Running Understanding Situation Crazy Keys Mad Rage Fearful Clue Starks Fear Of Love

Author:Jimmy Santiago Baca

“Americans would have a right to go to war with the Iraqis if we could name one author from Iraq. It disturbs me that we're going to war with somebody we know absolutely nothing about. Name one Iraqi poet, one Iraqi woman activist, one Iraqi singer. Name one Iraqi novelist. You can't. And how can you go kill someone you don't know anything about?”

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“I do know that if you can name certain things and understand them, it allows you to make better choices. Unfortunately, there's so much misinformation that towers over a person's head, it's really difficult to make the right decisions. Consequently, we just go along because it's way too hard to sift through the information.”

Ifs Knows Way Persons Hard Certain Choices Names Difficult Decision Information Towers Misinformation Right Decision Make The Right Decision

Author:Jimmy Santiago Baca

“One thing America truly does stand for is a million different ways of living. But while we enjoy the lives we have, we're so privileged. We live in a world that's so far from what the Palestinian children are going through, it's unbelievable. Yet if we dare to get close to that atrocity and name it, it would shock us so badly we couldn't live in our privileged comfort zone.”

Ifs World Way Children Doe Different America Names Enjoy Millions One Thing Comfort Dare Different Ways Shock Zone Palestinian Privileged Comfort Zone Unbelievable Atrocities

Author:Jimmy Santiago Baca

“How much truth can we bear? Our tolerance for carrying the truth is not very high. I mean, the slightest discomfort about truth and we run to our refuge of our jobs and our schools and our friends who keep supporting our blindness.”

Mean Running School Jobs Bears Truth Is Tolerance Refuge Blindness Discomfort

Author:Jimmy Santiago Baca

“The whole thing is this: If you don't use just basic grammar, if you don't get the language down, you're not going to have access to a tool that people use as a weapon against you. The only reason I was never taught to read and write was because it was easier for them to lead me. But the second I learned to read and write, I began to lead myself.”

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“We're all self-destructive when we're young. We all rebel. If we don't, there's something wrong. But when a Chicano kid's in a rebellious state, he has nowhere to go but to put himself in jeopardy with the police. When a kid who has some class privilege rebels, he's in a beautiful room and he can buy these horrible CDs and drugs. He's buffered from being a criminal.”

Ifs Self States Kids Beautiful Young Rooms Class Drug Police Privilege Criminals Horrible Destructive Rebel Rebellious Cds Self Destructive Jeopardy Nowhere To Go Class Privilege

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“Well, as a native, as a colonized people you do live in the in between. The thing is I'm native. But necessarily because I'm a member of the country, I'm also a White American.”

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“Also because I'm ambiguously ethnic looking, you know, I come to New York and I can be anything. People generally think I'm half of whatever they are.”

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“I end up feeling like a spy in the house of ethnicity, you know? Because people will talk around me as they would talk around the people in their cultural group. So I get to hear all the secrets and jokes and you know, I'm a part of every community because of the way I look.”

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