America is composed of all kinds of people - part of the difficulty in our nation today is due to the fact that we are not utilising the abilities and the talents of other brown and black peoples and females that have something to bring to the creativity and the rejuvenation and the revitalisation of this country.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the importance of inclusivity and leveraging diverse talents to enhance society.
Shirley Chisholm's quote advocates for recognizing and utilizing the diverse abilities and talents of marginalized groups, such as people of color and women, to contribute to the overall progress and revitalization of America. It points out that a significant challenge facing the nation arises from the underutilization of these individuals, who have valuable insights and creativity that can drive change and innovation.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of diversity in the workplace.
I was the first American citizen to be elected to Congress in spite of the double drawbacks of being female and having skin darkened by melanin. When you put it that way, it sounds like a foolish reason for fame. In a just and free society it would be foolish. That I am a national figure because I was the first person in 192 years to be at once a congressman, black and a woman proves, I think, that our society is not yet either just or free.
I stand before you today to repudiate the ridiculous notion that the American people will not vote for qualified candidates simply because he is not white or because she is not a male.
The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, 'It's a girl.'
I know that millions of Americans from all walks of life agree with me that leadership does not mean putting the ear to the ground to follow public opinion, but to have the vision of what is necessary and the courage to make it possible.
Of course laws will not eliminate prejudice from the hearts of human beings. But that is no reason to allow prejudice to continue to be enshrined in our laws - to perpetuate injustice through inaction.
I want history to remember me... not as the first black woman to have made a bid for the presidency of the United States, but as a black woman who lived in the 20th century and who dared to be herself. I want to be remembered as a catalyst for change in America.
New ideas rarely come from the moderate parties in The Hague or Washington, in Brussels or Westminster. The world's political centres are not the breeding ground for true change, but rather where it comes home to roost.
Usually when people are sad, they don't do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change.
All human nature vigorously resists grace because grace changes us and the change is painful.
There are certainly a lot of things that still need to change when it comes to women in the workforce.
It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to where we are today, but we have just begun. Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today.
So watch me strike a match on all my wasted time. As far as I'm concerned you're just another picture to burn.
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