When you go through all your life processing and abusing your hair so it will look like the hair of another race of people then you are making a statement and the statement is clear
Assata ShakurRead
People are tried and convicted in the newspapers and on television before they ever see a courtroom.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Media can influence public perception and prejudice legal processes.
This quote by Assata Shakur highlights the impact of media coverage on the legal system, suggesting that individuals often face judgment and condemnation through news reports and television before they are given a fair trial in a courtroom. It raises concerns about the presumption of innocence and the potential biases that arise when the media presents cases to the public, potentially affecting the outcomes of legal proceedings and the lives of the accused.
Themes
MediaJusticeCourtroomPrejudiceTrial
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about media ethics, one might say, 'As Assata Shakur noted, people are judged by the media before they even reach the courtroom.'
More from Assata Shakur
All quotes βPart of being a revolutionary is creating a vision that is more humane. That is more fun, too. That is more loving. It's really working to create something beautiful.
Assata ShakurRead
We had to learn that we're beautiful. We had to relearn something forcefully taken from us. We had to learn about Black power. People have power if we unite. We learned the importance of coming together and being active
Assata ShakurRead
I was sentenced to life plus 30 years by an all-White jury. What I saw in prison was wall-to-wall Black flesh in chains. Women caged in cells. But we're the terrorists. It just doesn't make sense.
Assata ShakurRead
My life wasn't beautiful and creative before I became politically active. My life was totally changed when I began to struggle.
Assata ShakurRead
Peace is a rare gift. Peace of mind, peaceful sleeps, and peaceful spirits are all luxuries that few rebels can ever afford.
Assata ShakurRead
Similar quotes
Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. And that's all I want to say.
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Justice has taken its course and the authority and legitimacy of the legal process must be respected.
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It is not a charity but a right, not bounty but justice, that I am pleading for. The present state of civilization is as odious as it is unjust. It is absolutely the opposite of what it should be, and it is necessary that a revolution should be made in it. The contrast of affluence and wretchedness continually meeting and offending the eye, is like dead and living bodies chained together
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Justice, not expedience, must be the guiding light. The orator must fix his eye on the polestar of justice, and plough straight thither. The moment he glances toward expediency, he falls from his high estate.
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The legal system is designed to protect men from the superior power of the state but not to protect women or children from the superior power of men. It therefore provides strong guarantees for the rights of the accused but essentially no guarantees for the rights of the victim. If one set out by design to devise a system for provoking intrusive post-traumatic symptoms, one could not do better than a court of law.
Judith Lewis HermanRead