There is nothing of any consequence in education, in the economy, in city planning, in social policy that does not concern black people.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of considering the perspectives and experiences of Black people in various societal aspects.
Toni Morrison's quote asserts that the issues of education, economy, city planning, and social policy are deeply intertwined with the experiences and realities of Black individuals. It highlights the necessity of inclusivity and representation in these fields, suggesting that addressing the needs and contributions of Black communities is fundamental for meaningful progress in society as a whole.
In practice
During a panel discussion on urban development, this quote can be used to stress the need for diverse voices in planning.
There is a certain kind of peace that is not merely the absence of war. It is larger than that. The peace I am thinking of is not at the mercy of history's rule, nor is it a passive surrender to the status quo. The peace I am thinking of is the dance of an open mind when it engages another equally open one -- an activity that occurs most naturally, most often in the reading/writing world we live in. Accessible as it is, this particular kind of peace warrants vigilance.
You looking good." "Devil's confusion. He lets me look good long as I feel bad.
What do you say? There really are no words for that. There really aren't. Somebody tries to say, 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.' People say that to me. There's no language for it. Sorry doesn't do it. I think you should just hug people and mop their floor or something.
An innocent man is a sin before God. Inhuman and therefore untrustworthy. No man should live without absorbing the sins of his kind, the foul air of his innocence, even if it did wilt rows of angel trumpets and cause them to fall from their vines.
Like friendship, hatred needed more than physical intimacy; it wanted creativity and hard work to sustain itself
One of my kids was born in 1968. There were going to be political difficulties, but they were never going to have that level of hatred and contempt that my brothers and my sister and myself were exposed to.
When I was in the Peace Corps I never made a phone call. I was in Central Africa; I didn't make a phone call for two years. I was in Uganda for another four years and I didn't make a phone call. So for six years I didn't make a phone call, but I wrote letters, I wrote short stories, I wrote books.
The true teacher defends his pupils against his own personal influence. He inspires self-trust. He guides their eyes from himself to the spirit that quickens him. He will have no disciples.
The great want of our race is perfect educators to train new-born minds, who are infallible teachers of what is right and true.
The reason I still work at this stage of life is because I enjoy learning something new each day.
If we help an educated man's daughter to go to Cambridge are we not forcing her to think not about education but about war? - not how she can learn, but how she can fight in order that she might win the same advantages as her brothers?
Education without social action is a one-sided value because it has no true power potential.
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