The marginalized did not create identity politics: their identities have been forced on them by dominant groups, and politics is the most effective method of revolt.
Interpretation
Marginalized groups didn't choose their identities; they were imposed by those in power, leading to political action as a means of resistance.
This quote by Stacey Abrams highlights that the identities of marginalized individuals are often shaped by external forces, particularly the dominant society. These imposed identities can lead to the emergence of identity politics, where the affected groups use political activism as a form of resistance against the inequalities and injustices they face, viewing it as a powerful way to reclaim agency and advocate for their rights.
In practice
In a discussion on social justice, this quote can illustrate the importance of understanding political struggles as responses to imposed identities.
I grew up one of six children with working-class parents in the Deep South. My mother was a college librarian, and my father worked in a shipyard. I never saw them balance a checkbook, but they kept a roof over our heads and got all six of us into college.
I do not Google myself, I do not read comments, and I barely look myself in the eye when I look in the mirror.
My being a black woman is not a deficit. It is a strength. Because I could not be where I am had I not overcome so many other barriers. Which means you know I'm relentless, you know I'm persistent, and you know I'm smart.
The basis for sustainable progress is legal protections grounded in an awareness of how identity has been used to deny opportunity.
I like to solve problems. I know it is a skill set, but it's also an obligation. I grew up with parents who believe that you don't simply complain: you try to find solutions and fix what's in front of you.
Here in Georgia, we continue to grapple with our own vestiges of hate. The image carved into Stone Mountain, like Confederate monuments across this state, stand as constant reminders of racism, intolerance, and division.
I would never want Ukraine to be a piece on the map, on the chessboard of big global players, so that someone could toss us around, use us as cover, as part of some bargain.
I wonder whether those of our political masters who have been put in charge of the defence of the country can distinguish a mortar from a motor; a gun from a howitzer; a guerrilla from a gorilla, although a great many resemble the latter.
Fundamentalists are not friends of democracy. And that includes your fundamentalists in the United States.
I tried to contribute to the defeat of the Soviets. If I contributed 1%, it is 1% of something enormous.
There are times in politics when you must be on the right side and lose.
There is a fundamental difference between the Polish experience of the state and the Russian experience. In the Polish experience, the state was always a foreign power. So, to hate the state was a patriotic act.
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