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Our Lives Quotes

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Our Lives Quotes

“Black life is ambiguous, and a kaleidoscope of meanings, rich, multi-sided . . . we have frozen our vision in figures that caricature, at best the complexity of our lives and leave the real artistic chore of interpretation unfinished.”

Real Life Is Black Vision Rich Our Lives Figures Artistic Complexity Interpretation Frozen Unfinished Ambiguous Chores Caricatures Kaleidoscope Black Lives

Author:Charles Bartlett Johnson

“When our life is a continuous trial, the moments of respite seem only to substitute the heaviness of dread for the heaviness of actual suffering; the curtain of cloud seems parted an instant only that we may measure all its horror as it hangs low, black, and imminent, in contrast with the transient brightness; the waterdrops that visit the parched lips in the desert bear with them only the keen imagination of thirst.”

Source: Silas Marner and Scenes of Clerical Life

“Any Black person in amerika [sic], if they are being honest with themselves, have got to come to the conclusion that they don't know what it feels like to be free. We aren't free politically, economically, or socially. We have very little power over what happens in our lives. In fact, a Black person isn't free to walk down the street. Walk down the wrong street, in the wrong neighborhood at night, and you know what happens.”

Ifs Knows Feels Littles Persons Facts Happens Night Black Walks Our Lives Streets Honest Conclusion Being Honest Neighborhood Black Person

Author:Assata Shakur

“The blues records of each decade explain something about the philosophical basis of our lives as black people. ... Blues is a basis of historical continuity for black people. It is a ritualized way of talking about ourselves and passing it on.”

People Way Black Talking Music Records Our Lives Bases Philosophical Historical Decades Passing Passings Black People Continuity Way Of Talking Passing It

Author:Sherley Anne Williams

“Life is just like a book. Only after you've read it do you know how it ends. It is when we are at the end of life that we know how our life ran. Mine, until now, has been black. As black as my skin. Black as the garbage dump where I live.”

Knows Life Has Beens Book Ends Life Is Black Know How Our Lives Mines Skins Live Life Ran Do You Know Garbage Dump End Of Life

Book:Beyond All Pity

Source: Beyond All Pity

“We Negro writers, just by being black, have been on the blacklist all our lives. Censorship for us begins at the color line.”

Has Beens Poetry Literature Black Lines Our Lives Color Racism Censorship

Book:Essays on art, race, politics, and world affairs

Source: Essays on art, race, politics, and world affairs

“It's fair to say that black folks operate under a cloud of invisibility - this too is part of the work, is indeed central to [my photographs]... This invisibility - this erasure out of the complex history of our life and time - is the greatest source of my longing.”

Black Our Lives Source Fairs Longing Complexes Photograph Clouds Folks Invisibility Life And Time

Author:Carrie Mae Weems

“We are invested in being together. In having friends. In joining our lives. And yet these are the people who also fail you. And when they fail you in these ways, it signals a larger understanding about who you are as a black person in the world. It's not just a little failure for me. Its something exposed.”

People World Way Littles Persons Together Understanding Black Our Lives Failing Who You Are Exposed Signals Joining Being Together Black Person

Author:Claudia Rankine

“I was musically baptized by the black founding fathers of rock-and-roll, and like all real music lovers, the music changed, enriched, upgraded and fortified our lives forever.”

Real Father Black Forever Our Lives Rocks Changed Lovers Rock And Roll Founding Baptized Music Lover Real Music

Author:Ted Nugent

“If you think about black art, all black art, whether it's Invisible Man or whether it's James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, Zora Hurston, or Richard Wright, they all deal with elements of identity and trying to humanize our experience and our struggle in the world where people have been indifferent to who we are and what we are. It's basically just saying that our lives have meaning.”

People Ifs Thinking Men World Trying Has Beens Art Black Deals Struggle Our Lives Identity Elements Invisible Who We Are Indifferent Just Saying All Black Black Art

Author:Cheo Hodari Coker

“The black man will inherit the earth; he will resume control, taking back the position he held centuries ago when the white devil was crawling around the caves of Europe on his all fours. Before the white devil came into our lives we had a civilization, we had a culture, we were living in silks and satins. Then he put us in chains and put us aboard the "Good Ship Jesus," and we have lived in hell ever since.”

Men Earth Culture Jesus Black White Hell Our Lives Century Position Civilization Devil Europe Ships Chains Caves Silk Resumes Crawling Satin Fours

Author:Malcolm X