There wasn't a game in the Eighties when you didn't get racial abuse as a black player.
John BarnesRead
We cannot keep turning our backs on gay and lesbian Americans. I have fought too hard and too long against discrimination based on race and color not to stand up against discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Interpretation
Standing up against discrimination is essential for equality among all groups, including LGBTQ+ individuals.
This quote emphasizes the importance of fighting against all forms of discrimination, including those faced by gay and lesbian Americans. John E. Lewis draws a parallel between the struggles against racial discrimination and the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ rights, asserting that standing up for one group necessitates standing up for others to promote true equality and justice in society.
In practice
This quote can be used during a pride event to emphasize the importance of inclusivity.
There wasn't a game in the Eighties when you didn't get racial abuse as a black player.
i was raped, too sexually assaulted in seventh grade, tenth grade. the summer after graduation, at a party i was 16 i was 14 i was 5 and he did it for three years i loved him i didn't even know him he was my best friend's brother, my grandfather, father, mommy's boyfriend, my date, my cousin, my coach i met him for the first time that night and- 4 guys took turns, and- i'm a boy and this happened to me, and- ...i got pregnant i gave up my daughter for adoption... did it happen to you, too?
I remember integrating the all-white Yazoo City High School after my Black school closed its doors. Teachers sprayed me with fire extinguishers, and I carried a stick to fend off attacks from fellow students.
We cried and sobbed and wept and bled tears. But when we were finished, all we could do was continue living.
This is how you survive the unsurvivable, this is how you lose that which you cannot bear to lose, this is how you reinvent yourself, overcome your abusers, fulfill your ambitions and meet the love of your life: by following what is true, no matter where it leads you.
It is forbidden to go east, but I have gone, forbidden to go on the great river, but I am there. Open your hearts, you spirits, and hear my song.
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