If we have the courage and tenacity of our forebears, who stood firmly like a rock against the lash of slavery, we shall find a way to do for our day what they did for theirs.
Mary Mcleod BethuneRead
You white folks have long been eating the white meat of the chicken. We Negroes are now ready for some of the white meat instead of the dark meat.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the demand for equality and access to the same opportunities as others.
Mary McLeod Bethune's quote emphasizes the historical inequalities faced by African Americans, symbolized by the distinction between 'white meat' and 'dark meat' of a chicken. It calls for a shift in access to resources and opportunities, advocating for a fairer distribution that allows Black individuals to partake in what has traditionally been reserved for the white community, thus highlighting the importance of equity and justice in society.
Themes
EqualityOpportunityJusticeCivil RightsAccess
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during discussions about social justice and equity initiatives.
More from Mary Mcleod Bethune
All quotes βEnter to learn; depart to serve.
Mary Mcleod BethuneRead
We live in a world which respects power above all things. Power, intelligently directed, can lead to more freedom. Unwisely directed, it can be a dreadful, destructive force.
Mary Mcleod BethuneRead
Forgiving is not about forgetting, it's letting go of the hurt
Mary Mcleod BethuneRead
What does the Negro want? His answer is very simple. He wants only what all other Americans want. He wants opportunity to make real what the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights say, what the Four Freedoms establish. While he knows these ideals are open to no man completely, he wants only his equal chance to obtain them.
Mary Mcleod BethuneRead
Whatever the white man has done, we have done, and often better.
Mary Mcleod BethuneRead
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