I became aware of how the world is and how the white establishment plays black people against each other.
Claudette ColvinRead
As long as white people put people of color, African Americans and Latinos, in the same dispensable bag, and look at our children of color as insignificant and treat women of color as not as deserving of protection as white women, we will never achieve true equality.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True equality cannot be achieved until all racial groups are treated as equally valuable and deserving of protection.
This quote highlights the systemic racism and discrimination faced by people of color, particularly African Americans and Latinos, and emphasizes that as long as society views them as lesser or expendable, true equality will remain unattainable. It calls for a shift in perception and treatment of marginalized communities to create a fair and just society.
Themes
EqualityRacismSocial JusticeDiscriminationProtection
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote in a speech at a community event advocating for racial equality.
More from Claudette Colvin
All quotes →When our founding fathers drafted the Constitution and Bill of Rights, black people weren't even considered human.
Claudette ColvinRead
I'd like my grandchildren to be able to see that their grandmother stood up for something, a long time ago.
Claudette ColvinRead
Back then, as a teenager, I kept thinking, why don't the adults around here just say something? Say it so they know we don't accept segregation? I knew then and I know now that, when it comes to justice, there's no easy way to get it. You can't sugarcoat it. You have to take a stand and say, 'This is not right.'
Claudette ColvinRead
I wanted the young African-American girls also on the bus to know that they had a right to be there, because they had paid their fare just like the white passengers.
Claudette ColvinRead
I always tell young people to hold on to their dreams. And sometimes you have to stand up for what you think is right even if you have to stand alone.
Claudette ColvinRead
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