The most difficult idea to reconcile in war is the notion that anything is going to be solved by killing a stranger, or in risking your life for a cause anchored in some distant political arena.
Walter Dean MyersRead
Like the Negro League players, I traveled through the segregated south as a young man. Because I was black, I was denied service at many restaurants and could only drink from water fountains marked 'Colored.' When I went to the movies, I would have to sit in the Colored balcony.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the struggles of racism and segregation faced by Black individuals in the past.
Walter Dean Myers recounts his experiences of racial segregation during his youth in the southern United States. He highlights the systemic discrimination that African Americans endured, as they were often denied basic services and forced to occupy separate, inferior spaces in public life. Through his personal narrative, Myers underscores the historical injustices that have shaped the African American experience.
Themes
SegregationRacismInjusticeDiscriminationHistory
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about racial equality, one might quote this to illustrate the historical context of segregation.
More from Walter Dean Myers
All quotes →I remember one time being told I could not play in a basketball game at the College of William and Mary because I was black, even though I was playing with a United States Army team.
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As a writer, I absorb stories, allow them to churn within my own head and heart - often for years - until I find a way of telling them that fits both my time and temperament.
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We need to tell young people that America was built by men and women of all colors and that the future of this country is dependent on the participation of all of our citizens.
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Yeah, that's funny, huh?...Something hurts you real bad and you get used to it. Like being hurt becomes part of who you are.
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Books transmit values. They explore our common humanity. What is the message when some children are not represented in those books?
Walter Dean MyersRead
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