I want all of the work that I do to have a social justice footprint attached. I want it to move the needle forward when it comes to the perception of all people, but especially people of color.
Winston DukeRead
I grew up under the politics of my size and my skin. I grew up under the politics of the sound of my voice and a lack of agency, or a feeling of a lack of agency, and not always being able to find myself in images that were in the media.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the impact of social identity and representation on personal agency and self-perception.
Winston Duke speaks to the challenges of growing up in a society where one's identity, shaped by physical appearance and voice, is politicized. His experience highlights how a lack of representation in media can lead to feelings of disenfranchisement and difficulty in asserting one's own identity, emphasizing the importance of visibility and agency in shaping self-worth and understanding.
In practice
During a speaker event focused on identity and representation, this quote can be shared to emphasize the importance of inclusivity in media.
I want all of the work that I do to have a social justice footprint attached. I want it to move the needle forward when it comes to the perception of all people, but especially people of color.
Most new movements start this way: hundreds or thousands of individuals and groups, working in different fields and different locations, start thinking about change using a common language, without necessarily recognizing those shared values. You just start following your own vector, propelled along by people in your immediate vicinity. And then one day, you look up and realize that all those individual trajectories have turned into a wave.
I dream of Poland becoming a modern society that is defined not by the crippling nature of history, but by our individual achievements, a sense of our own self-worth and ideas for the future.
So people are talking about revolution. What a revolution it would be to have a woman president.
The most positive action we can take about the past is to change our perception of it.
If the National Football League, an organization notoriously known for not standing behind their athletes of color, can come out to make a statement to condemn racism and their systemic oppression and admit they were wrong for not listening in the past, then the 'Bachelor' franchise can most certainly follow suit.
If I'm able to communicate one thing to adults, it would be this: it should not be easier to purchase a gun than it is to obtain a driver's license, and military-grade weapons should not be accessible in civilian settings.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.