Black Women’s History Week, Day 6: Powerful quotes from Black women
The week of February 25 to March 3 is Black Women’s History Week; it bridges Black History Month and Women’s History Month. For each day of the week, the team will discuss a different prompt. Today’s theme: a powerful quote from a Black woman.
*ZZ* Makes Art
“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion; the potential for greatness lives within each of us.”
Wilma Rudolph
Tierra
“I’ve had the question asked of me, ‘How do you feel being in the shadows of your husband, who was always out front?’ You know, they talked about him. The power structure used that, I think, to split up our movement. I said, ‘Well hey, I feel fine.’ I’m fighting for my rights just like he’s fighting for his. We are fighting together for the rights of our people. We have to fight together for the rights of our people. If we fight [with each other], we’re going to fight behind closed doors. If we don’t unite together, the men and the women, what are our children going to do? I don’t care if my name ever gets out there, if we make moves forward for our children. That’s what it’s all about. I’ve got to love my sister. I’ve got to love my children. I’ve got to love my people in order to fight this liberation struggle. The other stuff? You know, we can deal with that later. The main ingredient is unity while we fight this struggle that is killing us all.”
Mabel Robinson Williams
Jasmine
I’m just trying to be me, doing what I got to do
The Queen B Lil Kim
So why y’all keep hating on me and my crew?
Yo, I’m saying Q.B, look at them and look at you
True, if I was you I’d hate me too
Charise
First to pop into my head is one I use fairly frequently when speaking to creatives who want to get involved in the climate justice movement (or environmentalism generally) but feel a bit out of their lane in an area that seemingly places more value on the role of science and scientists:
“It is the role of the artist to make the revolution irresistible.”
Activist, author, and professor Toni Cade Bambara (1939-1995)
An expat, a cannabis advocate, a stay-at-home mom, an artist, a nonprofit director and an environmental scientist walked into a blog.
That’s it. That’s the bio.
