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African American Quotes

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African American Quotes

“The virtue of female slaves is wholly at the mercy of irresponsible tyrants, and women are bought and sold in our slave markets, to gratify the brutal lust of those who bear the name of Christians.”

Christian Names Virtue Bears Female Mercy Abuse Slavery Slave Lust African American Tyrants Brutal Irresponsible African American Women

Book:Letters on the equality of the sexes, and the condition of woman: Addressed to Mary S. Parker

Source: Letters on the equality of the sexes, and the condition of woman: Addressed to Mary S. Parker

“Unfortunately there was one thing that the white South feared more than Negro dishonesty, ignorance, and incompetency, and that was Negro honesty, knowledge, and efficiency.”

White Knowledge One Thing Honesty Ignorance Racism South African American Merit Black People Efficiency Dishonesty Incompetence

Book:The Negro

Source: The Negro

“A few ideas seem to be agreed upon. Help none but those who help themselves. Educate only at schools which provide in some form for industrial education. These two points should be insisted upon. Let the normal instruction be that men must earn their own living, and that by the labor of their hands as far as may be. This is the gospel of salvation for the colored man. Let the labor not be servile, but in manly occupations like that of the carpenter, the farmer, and the blacksmith.”

Men Should May Two Ideas Helping Hands Seems School Form Education Normal Labor Salvation African American Occupation Farmers Educate Instruction Manly Carpenter Blacksmiths

Author:Rutherford B. Hayes

“Sometimes I think no matter how one is born, no matter how one acts, there is something out of gear with one somewhere, and that must be changed. Life at its best is a grand corrective.”

Thinking Life Sometimes Matter Change Born Acting Changed African American Novelists Gears Essayists Changed Life

Book:There is Confusion

Source: There is Confusion

“In Sumter and other counties [in South Carolina] the whites are resorting to intimidation and violence to prevent the colored people from organizing for the elections. The division there is still on the color line. Substantially all the whites are Democrats and all the colored people are Republicans. There is no political principle in dispute between them. The whites have the intelligence, the property, and the courage which make power. The negroes are for the most part ignorant, poor, and timid. My view is that the whites must be divided there before a better state of things will prevail.”

“... not all black women have silently acquiesced in sexism and misogyny within the African-American community. Indeed, many writers, activists, and other women have voiced their opposition and paid the price: they have been ostracized and branded as either man- haters or pawns of white feminists, two of the more predictable modes of disciplining and discrediting black feminists.”

“There are those who would keep us slipping back into the darkness of division, into the snake pit of racial hatred, of racial antagonism and of support for symbols of the struggle to keep African-Americans in bondage.”

War Darkness Support Struggle Racism Hatred Slavery Symbols African American Civil War Division Snakes Bondage Pits Slipping Antagonism

Author:Carol Moseley Braun

“... there is a place in the United States for the Negro. They are real American citizens, and at home. They have fought and bled and died, like men, to make this country what it is. And if they have got to suffer and die, and be lynched, and tortured, and burned at the stake, I say they are at home.”

Ifs Men Real Country States Home Suffering Dies United United States Citizens Died African American Stakes Burned American Citizens

Book:An Autobiography: The Story of the Lord's Dealings with Mrs. Amanda Smith, the Colored Evangelist; Containing an Account of Her Life Work of Faith, and Her Travels in America, England, Ireland, Scotland, India, and Africa, as an Independent Missionary

Source: An Autobiography: The Story of the Lord's Dealings with Mrs. Amanda Smith, the Colored Evangelist; Containing an Account of Her Life Work of Faith, and Her Travels in America, England, Ireland, Scotland, India, and Africa, as an Independent Missionary

“The Afro-American experience is the only real culture that America has. Basically, every American tries to walk, talk, dress and behave like African Americans.”

Trying Real America Culture Walks Dresses African American Behave Afros

Author:Hugh Masekela

“People know Tyler Perry, and there are standards they've come to expect from him. His brand is uplifting, and it's something a lot of inner-city African-Americans can relate to.”

People Knows Cities Standards Brands Uplifting African American Relate Inner City

Author:Michael Jai White

“I support anyone's right to be who they want to be. My question is: to what extent do I have to participate in your self-image?”

Want Self Support Rights African American Comedian Participating

Author:Dave Chappelle

“What we saw was that the Ferguson Police Department in conjunction with the municipality saw traffic stops, arrests, tickets as a revenue generator, as opposed to serving the community, and that it systematically was biased against African-Americans in that city who were stopped, harassed, mistreated, abused, called names, fined.”

“Black people are dying in this country because we have a criminal justice system which is out of control, a system in which over 50% of young African American kids are unemployed. It is estimated that a black baby born today has a one in four chance of ending up in the criminal justice system.”

“I have a long history in fighting for civil rights. I understand that many people in the African-American community may not understand that.”

People May Long Fighting Community Rights Civil Rights African American

Author:Bernie Sanders

“All of you are aware of the tragic history of racism in America, but for a very long time, African-Americans and their white allies came together and they struggled and they stood up for justice and they stood up to lynching and they stood up to segregation and the stood up to a nation where African-Americans couldn't even vote in America.”

Long Together America Nations Justice White Long Time Racism Vote African American Tragic Allies Segregation Racism In America Stood Up Lynching

Author:Bernie Sanders

“You know Latin people? African-American people? How our skin ages more slowly? Even though we're dramatic, we move our faces, we eat higher-fat foods, we're the ones with fewer wrinkles - it makes you wonder.”

People Knows Age Faces Moving Wonder Higher Skins Fats African American Dramatic Latin Fewer Wrinkles

Author:Salma Hayek

“I am proud to live in a country with an African-American president. But President Obama cannot be proud of the fact that the prevalence of black poverty has actually increased under his leadership. The specific policies advanced by the president and his allies on the left amount to little more than throwing money at the problem and walking away.”

Littles Country Facts Problem Left Black President Leadership Poverty Policy Amount Proud Walking African American Allies Throwing President Obama Be Proud Walking Away American President

Author:Rick Perry

“If anyone should have the right or need to carry a gun, it should be the African-American community.”

Ifs Needs Should Community Gun Should Have African American

Author:Philip Smith

“People say that it was degrading for an Olympic champion to run against a horse, but what was I supposed to do? I had four gold medals, but you can't eat four gold medals. There was no television, no big advertising, no endorsements then. Not for a black man, anyway.”

“What I want to do is basically tell my generation's story about how music and culture helped affect a generation, and a generation that's so profound, that it went on to elect the first African-American president.”

Want Firsts Stories Culture President Generations Profound African American My Generation American President

Author:Steve Stoute

“To see an African-American elected president means that this country is really finally coming full circle from the birth defect of slavery.”

Mean Country President Birth Slavery Circles African American Defects Full Circle Birth Defects

Author:Condoleezza Rice

“Things are shifting; man is evolving in many different ways. The Internet has created a portal for people to connect with each other in a way they never could have before. When it comes to African-American or black films, it's different because there is a model that you can actually look at, an equation that shows that these films earn money.”

People Men Way Looks Different Shows Film Black Internet Models African American Evolve Different Ways Equations Shifting Portal

Author:Forest Whitaker

“I look in the eyes and I see the heart. As long as it's a human story. I would like to turn on my television and see African American, Hispanic, Asian as well as Caucasian. And I think there are probably more people like me.”

People Thinking Humans Wells Looks Heart Long Stories Eye Turns Television Like Me African American Asian Turn-on Hispanic Caucasian

Author:Angela Bassett

“A very hurting thing for Black Americans - to feel that we can't love our enemies. People forget what a great tradition we have as African-Americans in the practice of forgiveness and compassion. And if we neglect that tradition, we suffer.”

People Ifs Feels Suffering Black Hurt Forget Compassion Enemy Practice Tradition African American Neglect

Author:Bell Hooks

“My mother always told me to embrace both sides of my background. And she also taught me one very useful thing when I was going to first grade. She said, "You're Bahamian and African-American on one side, and Russian-Jewish on the other. You're no more one than the other, and it's beautiful that you have all this. It makes your life all the more rich. But society will see you only as black."”

Firsts Said Beautiful Mother Sides Black Rich Taught Embrace Backgrounds African American Grades Both Sides Useful Things

Author:Lenny Kravitz

“Beyond [Barack Obama] having made history as the first African-American president, I hope that he gets re-elected for what he does while in office, not for his skin color. I certainly believe he has the capacity.”

Firsts Believe Doe Made President Color Office Capacity Skins Barack African American American President Skin Color

Author:Lenny Kravitz

“I stay connected in my head. I'm spiritually and psychologically connected to African-Americans. They are my people, and that will never change.”

People Connected African American Never Change

Author:Assata Shakur

“I miss friends and family. If it weren't for visits from old friends and other African Americans I meet who come to Cuba, I'd probably be in some kind of time warp.”

Ifs Kind Missing African American Family And Friends Cuba Old Friends Warp

Author:Assata Shakur

“People ask me if I miss the States. I miss African Americans. But not the U.S. government or all the things they put me through. I miss African American culture, our speech, dance and cooking.”

People Ifs States Government Culture Asks Missing Speech Cooking African American Ask Me American Culture African American Culture

Author:Assata Shakur

“I love the fact that a lot of my audience is people from the inner city. African-Americans love my films.”

People Facts Film Cities Audience African American Inner City

Author:Wes Craven

“I have written a song that says: If you ever lose someone dear to you, never say the words, "They're gone," and they'll come back.”

Ifs Song Loses Gone Written Losing Dear African American Singer Songwriters Losing Someone

Author:Prince

“Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach his goals.”

“It is not possible to erase racism just because African-Americans have reached a level of financial success and crossover appeal.”

Levels Racism Financial African American Appeals Erase Crossover Financial Success

Author:Farrah Gray

“I love my own culture. I love my African-American culture very deeply, and I know it deserves to be honored. You have to be aware that people are suffering unjustly, and given our own history we have a duty to stand for the people who are being treated like our parents and grandparents and children were treated.”

People Knows Children Suffering Culture Given Parent My Own Duty Deserve Treated African American Grandparent Honored American Culture Very Deep Parents And Grandparents African American Culture

Author:Alice Walker

“I felt hopeful for the future because Obama is here. But nothing has changed. It's time for young kids to get serious again and really think about what their four fathers were like. As African-Americans, we are resilient, we are some bad mf-ers, and we are survivors. So get those i-pods out of their ears and become heroes again like the Freedom Riders.”

Thinking Kids Young Father Felt Four Changed Serious Hero Ears African American Hopeful Survivor Riders Resilient Things Have Changed

Author:Lee Daniels

“Oh, I love labels, as long as they are numerous. I'm an American writer. I'm a Nigerian writer. I'm a Nigerian American writer. I'm an African writer. I'm a Yoruba writer. I'm an African American writer. I'm a writer who's been strongly influenced by European precedents. I'm a writer who feels very close to literary practice in India - which I go to quite often - and to writers over there.”

Feels Long Practice India African American Labels Precedent American Writer

Author:Teju Cole

“One of the great things about African-Americans is that we've always had this attitude: We make do with what we got. It comes from our ancestors being slaves.”

Attitude Slave Great Things African American Ancestor

Author:Spike Lee

“My intention is not to repudiate an African American identity but perhaps to resist how labels take hold, or to make it as slow a process as possible. That's more my sense of it.”

Process Identity Intention African American Labels American Identity

Author:Mark McMorris

“I think it's a wonderful thing to have African-American characters. Look at life. It's not a white world or a black world; there are all kind of people in it. It's showing growth, and in today's world there are so many outlets.”

People Thinking World Looks Kind Character Today Black Growth White Wonderful All Kinds African American Wonderful Things Outlets Today's World American Character

Author:Darius McCrary

“I'm not against knowing the history of white people in the U.S. - that's not the point. The point is that there's so much greater history. We don't know about Native Americans. Very basically, we don't know that much about African American history, except that they were enslaved. You only get bits and pieces.”

People Knows Bits White Knowing Greater Pieces African American Native Native American American History Bits And Pieces African American History

Author:Luis J. Rodriguez

“Teachers and librarians can be the most effective advocates for diversifying children's and young adult books. When I speak to publishers, they're going to expect me to say that I would love to see more books by Native American authors and African-American authors and Arab-American authors. But when a teacher or librarian says this to publishers, it can have a profound effect.”

Children Book Young Speak Teacher Effects Adults Profound Young Adult African American Native Native American Publishers Librarian American Author

Author:Pat Mora

“Michigan is very racially separated and the city of Detroit itself is 84 percent African-American and the surrounding suburbs are 86 percent White.”

White Cities Percent African American Detroit Suburbs Michigan

Author:Kwame Kilpatrick

“I don't think there has been any mayor in America scrutinized that way. I don't think there has been any mayor as a matter of fact, Coleman Young I think received an incredible amount of scrutiny and he was kind of the poster child for that in Detroit. He was the first Black mayor who really expressed his manhood in a different way than had been seen from African-American man that was projected across the country.”

“I did want to mark the fact that it was the first African-American to win the Lead Actress category.I thought it was so progressive.”

Want Firsts Facts Winning Mark Actresses African American Progressive Categories

Author:Viola Davis

“Now goverments are a different thing. Presidents who do not want me. As I said, an African-American discriminates against an indigenous Bolivian. Well, they have their reasons, but sooner or later we will all be judged.”

Want Wells Said Different Reason President African American Different Things Judged Want Me Sooner Or Later Indigenous

Author:Evo Morales

“With Bolivia, I had hope that a discriminated African-American, with another discriminated indigenous peasant leader, I hoped that together we could work for justice and equality. Not only for just two countries, Bolivia and USA, but for equality around the world.”

World Two Country Together Justice Leader Around The World African American Usa Indigenous Peasants Equality And Justice Two Countries Bolivia

Author:Evo Morales

“African Americans were responsible for creating a lot of this beautiful and elaborate ironwork; we weren't just working in the cotton fields.”

Beautiful Fields Creating Responsible African American Cotton Cotton Fields

Author:Philip Freelon

“I always say African American history is the quintessential American story. It's about perseverance and resilience - something everyone can relate to.”

Stories Perseverance Resilience African American Relate American History Quintessential African American History

Author:Philip Freelon

“The number of African Americans in my profession is woefully small; about two percent of architects in the country are black. I'd like to see more diversity. That's why whenever I'm asked to speak at middle and high schools I always say yes.”

Two Country School Speak Black Numbers Middle Diversity Percent High School Profession African American Architect

Author:Philip Freelon

“I taught them everything they know, but not everything I know.”

Knows Taught African American Dancer Bboy

Author:James Brown