Raising me as a single parent, my mother held many jobs. Most of them had to do with the betterment and the advancement of our community and society at large. I grew up seeing her active in ministries at our church, with the homeless, as a social worker, with elderly, with youth, as a children's rights organizer with the Urban League of Chicago.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the dedication and hard work of a single parent in enriching the community while raising their child.
Ayanna Pressley's quote highlights the profound influence her mother had on her upbringing as a single parent. By juggling multiple jobs aimed at community improvement and actively participating in various social causes, her mother served as a role model, illustrating the values of service, commitment, and the importance of contributing to society. This experience not only shaped Pressley's character but also instilled in her a deeper understanding of community engagement and social responsibility.
In practice
In a speech about community service, you can reference this quote to highlight the importance of parental influence.
I'm not naive. All politics is about identity, right? Neighborhood politics, cultural politics, issue politics. It's not as though I don't get that. It's just - it has to be, I think, tempered in a way that is for our overall advancement and not to our detriment or obliteration. When I say 'our,' I don't mean just communities of color.
We should be uncomfortable with the growing gaps in our society, and we cannot allow ourselves to become desensitized to these injustices.
We desperately need comprehensive immigration reform in this nation, and yes, comprehensive immigration reform proposals are nuanced and complicated, but you know what shouldn't be? Our capacity to see each other's humanity.
You cannot have a government for and by the people if it is not represented by all of the people.
As I have always said, those closest to the pain should be closest to the power.
At the women's march, we held signs that said, 'Today we march, tomorrow we run.' They didn't believe us, but it's coming to pass.
It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn't.
The great danger for family life, in the midst of any society whose idols are pleasure, comfort and independence, lies in the fact that people close their hearts and become selfish.
Time and experience have taught me a priceless lesson: Any child you take for your own becomes your own if you give of yourself to that child. I have born two children and had seven others by adoption, and they are all my children, equally beloved and precious.
For I am my mother's daughter, and the drums of Africa still beat in my heart.
The family is a community of love where each of us learns to relate to others and to the world around us.
It is a wise father that knows his own child.
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