25 powerful quotes that speak volumes in the fight against racism

After the death of 46-year-old African American George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA on Monday, May 25, protests erupted across the United States and around the world in solidarity against racism and police brutality. As more people protest in peaceful demonstrations, the more society needs to change and strive towards peace and equality. Below are 25 quotes that ring true in the fight against racism now more than ever before.

“History has shown us that courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own.”
–Michelle Obama, former first lady of the United States

“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” —Langston Hughes, American poet

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” –Martin Luther King, Jr., American minister and activist

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” –Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017

“You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.” –Malcolm X, human rights activist and American Muslim minister

“We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers. Our abundance has brought us neither peace of mind nor serenity of spirit.” —Martin Luther King, Jr

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” —Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, political leader, philanthropist

“No matter how big a nation is, it is no stronger than its weakest people, and as long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you might otherwise.” –Marian Anderson, singer

“The ultimate measure of a person is not where one stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where one stands in times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King, Jr

“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” –Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize award-winner, South African Anglican cleric

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” –Rosa Parks, activist

“For it isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” –Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady of the United States

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world: Indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.” –Margaret Mead, American cultural anthropologist

“Freedom is never given; it is won.” –A. Philip Randolph, civil rights leader

“If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. But if you recognise that your liberation and mine are bound up together, we can walk together.” –Lila Watson, activist, academic, and visual artist

“A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet is your mirror.” –Ken Keyes, Jr., author

“One day our descendants will think it incredible that we paid so much attention to things like the amount of melanin in our skin or the shape of our eyes or our gender instead of the unique identities of each of us as complex human beings.” –Franklin Thomas, philanthropist and civil rights activist

“The time is always right to do what is right.” –Martin Luther King, Jr

“If we accept and acquiesce in the face of discrimination, we accept the responsibility ourselves and allow those responsible to salve their conscience by believing that they have our acceptance and concurrence. We should, therefore, protest openly everything… that smacks of discrimination or slander.” —Mary McLeod Bethune, political activist, organiser, and educator

“Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict—alternatives to passive or aggressive responses, alternatives to violence.” —Dorothy Thompson, journalist

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” —Muhammad Ali, activist, philanthropist and professional boxer

“The need for change bulldozed a road down the centre of my mind.” —Maya Angelou, poet, civil rights activist

“You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.” —Indira Gandhi, former prime minister of India

Here are more inspirational quotes from powerful women.

“Ideologies separate us. Dreams and anguish bring us together.” –Eugene Ionesco, Romanian-French playwright

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Martin Luther King, Jr

Now read about 50 of the world’s most admired women.

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Source: RD.com