Many unhoused people work full time but earn starvation, unlivable wages. Some struggle to access mental health services or substance use treatment, making earning a consistent and stable wage nearly impossible.
Cori BushRead
We treat Black and brown kids who can't vote yet, can't join the military, can't rent a car or even buy a lottery ticket - like adults in our criminal legal system. We deprive them of their joy and their youth. Children who deserve to live rich and abundant lives.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the harsh treatment of underage individuals in the criminal justice system, suggesting they are denied a joyful childhood.
Cori Bush emphasizes the injustice faced by Black and brown youth who are not afforded the same freedoms as adults but are nonetheless treated as such within the criminal legal framework. The quote reflects on the detrimental impact this has on their youth, joy, and potential for a fulfilling life, urging a reconsideration of how society handles young people, especially those from marginalized communities.
Themes
JusticeYouthInequalityCriminal SystemAbundance
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech advocating for juvenile justice reform.
More from Cori Bush
All quotes →The death penalty is an inhumane punishment that disproportionately violates the human rights of Black, brown, indigenous, and other marginalized people.
Cori BushRead
By expanding the legal authority of law enforcement agencies - without addressing the infiltration of white supremacy within law enforcement - we are expanding the capacity of white supremacy itself.
Cori BushRead
We don't live in a world that nurtures and cares for Black girls like me. And if the world doesn't care about a Black girl like me, then what will happen to our Black babies who grow up to become Black children and Black adults?
Cori BushRead
This stereotype that Black and brown boys and girls are dangerous or threatening has normalized systems of trauma: the cradle to prison pipeline, foster care, youth detention, and being tried and sentenced as adults. We treat trauma with more trauma.
Cori BushRead
Being unhoused in America must no longer be viewed as an individual shortcoming, but rather as an unacceptable, life-threatening policy failure.
Cori BushRead
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