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41 " My parents gave me the pep talk when I started school, the same speech all black parents give their kids: You’re gonna have to be bigger, badder, better, just to be considered equal. You’re gonna have to do twice as much work and you’re not going to get any credit for your accomplishments or for overcoming adversity. Most black people grow accustomed to the fact that we have to excel just to be seen as exisiting and this is a lesson passed down from generation to generation. "
― Gabrielle Union , We're Going to Need More Wine
42 " Did we settle, land in a safe, this-will-do spot and tether ourselves to someone for decades so we wouldn’t be standing alone at the hour of our death? And was it actually worth it? "
― Gabrielle Union , You Got Anything Stronger?: Stories
43 " I would propose that to worry people are desensitized is to assume the jurors, and most people, were ever sensitive to Black pain to begin with. "
44 " The problem is, there’s always an audience for negativity. "
45 " Stay afraid, but do it anyway. "
46 " The eight women took off, racing to a photo finish in the time it took me to take a breath. The winner was Gail Devers, the woman who once could barely walk. Watching her victory lap, I felt that pull again on my heart. “A lot of times in athletics and in life you feel walls closing in and you can’t get out,” she said at the press conference afterward. “Use me as an example. If you believe in yourself, if you have faith in yourself, you can do anything. "
47 " I, like many women, know what the hell is wrong with me. Whether we choose to do something about it remains to be seen. "
48 " I am someone who physically hides when I am feeling, let’s say, stressed in a situation. Behind a garbage can, behind a tree. If I am somewhere and get an attack of the feels, I look for the nearest place to stash myself. I am the Where’s Waldo? of emotional availability. "
49 " I want you to tell people that fear can kill you," Sook said, "I was afraid, and it killed me. "
50 " When I was 19, I got a job at Payless shoes with some friends. It was easy work. You didn’t actually have to help anyone, that was the beauty of it. The customers help themselves and you ring them up, so basically you can fuck around all day and get paid. "
51 " If someone had been writing a manual for police officers and medical personnel on how to handle a rape case with compassion, I would have been the perfect test case on procedure. They were wonderful. And I know this now because I have lobbied Congress and state legislatures about treatment of rape victims.I’ve seen worst-case scenarios, and they’re devastating. Now I can appreciate the care with which I was handled. Now I know it rarely happens that way and it really rarely happens that way for black women. I am grateful I had the experience I did, wrapped up in the worst experience of my life. Now. "
52 " I sued Payless for negligence, but I wanted to sue them for my dad looking at me like that. I hated that. To this day, I hate it. The look was: Damaged. Victim. Guilt. Fear. My dad never acknowledged it in words, but I was his favorite because I was most like him. I followed the rules, I got great grades, blah blah. And in that moment I was damaged. It was as if someone had broken his favorite toy. "
53 " Sometimes I’ll be in the ladies’ room, washing my hands next to another woman. She’ll take a few glances, which I notice, and as I’m readying myself to walk out the door, she’ll say, “Me too.” She doesn’t have to tell me what she means. I nod. I’ve been doing rape advocacy and sharing my own story since the beginning of my career. We don’t hug. We don’t cry. She nods back at me. Just two women in a moment of mutual respect, acknowledging the truth and consequences of our experience. Feeling, in that moment, less alone on our respective islands. "
54 " The Avengers you assemble don't have to be golden by the standards of the industry you are breaking into. They just need to have the same work ethic as you, and believe in effective communication and positive affirmation. "
55 " You were fly, dope, and amazing from birth,’ I would tell that girl now. ‘From the second you took your first breath, you were worthwhile and valid, and I’m sorry you had to wait so long to learn that for yourself. "
56 " And, by the way, you showed exactly how much power she has over you because you spent an hour talking about her to a roomful of people. "
57 " I am free and deserving simply because I exist . I don't have to do all these other things to be worthy of respect and safety. "
58 " That creates yet more work for the next woman up. That’s what can happen when we mentor and empower. That’s what happens when we realize that any joy we find in the next woman’s pain or struggle is just a reflection of our own pain: “See how hard this is? Do you appreciate how difficult this is?” Instead, I want to heal her and me. "
59 " ...but you're never going to get inclusive in your work if you can't figure out how to get inclusive in your social life. "
60 " I believe there are certain things that prisoners do very well. And their handling of rapists is one of them. So . . . I feel pretty solid about that. Whatever he’s endured brings me joy. I hope it happens every day of his life. A few times a day. I’m perfectly okay with that. "