“We are indeed a house divided. But the division between race and race, class and class, will not be dissolved by massive infusions of brotherly sentiment. The division is not the result of bad sentiment, and therefore will not be healed by rhetoric. Rather the division and the bad sentiments are both reflections of vast and growing inequalities in our socioeconomic system--inequalities of wealth, of status, of education, of access to political power. Talk of brotherhood and "tolerance" (are we merely to "tolerate" one another?) might once have had a cooling effect, but increasingly it grates on the nerves. It evokes contempt not because the values of brotherhood are wrong--they are more important than ever--but because it just does not correspond to the reality we see around us. And such talk does nothing to eliminate the inequalities that breed resentment and deep discontent.”
Quote by Bayard Rustin
Work
Down the Line: The Collected Writings of Bayard Rustin
Browse quotes and source details for this work. more
Author
You May Also Like
Source: Betrayal In Black
Source: Betrayal In Black
Source: Betrayal In Black
“Until cops stop treating blacks differently than whites, we’re going to have problems.”
Source: Betrayal In Black
Source: Betrayal In Black
Source: Betrayal In Black
Source: Betrayal In Black
“Is this a racial thing, a gun thing, or both?”
Source: Betrayal In Black
Source: Betrayal In Black
Source: Betrayal In Black
