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Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist QUOTES

Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist QUOTES

1 " Dealing with white people faux pas as a black woman is tricky: if you get upset, you can be quickly be labeled as the "angry black girl"; if you're too passive, it seems like you're give permission, or letting racism slide. "

― Franchesca Ramsey , Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist

2 " All lives matter” is an empty retort designed to shut down conversations about black people and the issues they face. I think the “all lives matter” folks know that—they just refuse to admit it. Comeback: “It’s okay for a movement to be focused on a specific group or cause. ‘Save the rainforest’ doesn’t mean ‘Fuck all the other trees. "

― Franchesca Ramsey , Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist

3 " Even if you have all the connections in the world, you still have to show up and do the work. More often than not, I couldn't even manage to show up. "

― Franchesca Ramsey , Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist

4 " Today, I know the vocabulary word to explain exactly why “Shit Black Girls Say” made me uncomfortable: misogynoir. The term, coined by activist Moya Bailey, describes the unique interplay of racism and sexism that black women face. "

― Franchesca Ramsey , Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist

5 " But when it comes to basic human rights issues—like trans bathroom laws, affordable health care, or same-sex marriage—agreeing to disagree feels nearly impossible. An opinion stops being “just an opinion” when it supports the mistreatment or oppression of others, "

― Franchesca Ramsey , Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist

6 " 4. COMMENT: “RACIST? I’M NOT RACIST! YOU’RE THE REAL RACIST!” Often heard when: You call out racism. Why it should be laid to rest: “I’m rubber and you’re glue, whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you” hasn’t been a valid line of defense since elementary school. Comeback: “Just like talking about global warming doesn’t make me a greenhouse gas, talking about racism doesn’t make me a racist. "

― Franchesca Ramsey , Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist

7 " What these “Why are you censoring me?” people misunderstand is that no one is forcing anyone to change the way they speak. You can say anything you want; you won’t face legal action for calling someone the N-word. But it doesn’t mean you can say it free of consequences. You can totally start your company emails to your boss with “Dear ugly bitch”—you’ll just get fired for it. By committing to march down the path of “political incorrectness,” you’re saying you’re willing to sacrifice relationships with anyone who finds your language unacceptable. "

― Franchesca Ramsey , Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist

8 " If someone is talking about their experiences as a person of color, “I don’t see color” suggests their experiences aren’t valid—or flat-out aren’t real. If you wear glasses and I say, “I don’t even see your glasses,” that doesn’t mean you suddenly have twenty-twenty vision—it just means I’m in denial. "

― Franchesca Ramsey , Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist

9 " As with any job, you don't just sit around achieving
all day- you have to put in hours. Until that point, whenever I saw someone doing something I wanted to do, I'd devote many of those hours to negative energy. I would try to convince myself that these strangers weren't worthy of the things I wanted instead of being honesty with myself about how they got there. "

― Franchesca Ramsey , Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist

10 " Where did the idea that interracial relationships are incompatible with the fight for equality come from? My white husband doesn’t make me any less black, or any less dedicated to the fight for racial justice—just as being married to a man doesn’t make me any less of a feminist or passionate about women’s issues. Perhaps some forget that interracial marriage was at one time, not so long ago, a civil rights issue; it was illegal in many states until 1967, when the landmark Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia determined that anti-miscegenation laws were unconstitutional "

― Franchesca Ramsey , Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist

11 " Privilege—the societal advantages possessed by a group of people based on their race, class, gender, sexuality, or physical ability. This word tends to freak people out because they assume having privilege means they’re a bad person or are to blame for the mistreatment of others. In reality, everyone has some level of privilege, or rather a combination of privileges. Having privileges doesn’t mean you’re rich, have never worked hard, or never had to struggle. It just means that there are some things you’ll never have to experience or think about because of who you are. "

― Franchesca Ramsey , Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist