In my quest to learn, know and understand the true American history vs the American myths that were fed to me. I realize that I am lacking in knowledge of who were allies to the African American civil rights movement. Yuri, not only used her voice to advocate for Asian Americans, she used her voice and collaborated with African American leaders such as Malcolm X. What I find very unique about Yuri and Malcolm, is they were comrades in arms in the fight for human rights for marginalized groups in the USA, friends and Birthday Twins(May 19th)! Yuri was present in New York at the event that Malcolm X was speaking at when Malcolm X was assassinated by the US government in 1965.
Below are some of my favorite quotes from her:
So, transform yourself first… Because you are young and have dreams and want to do something meaningful, that in itself, makes you our future and our hope. Keep expanding your horizon, decolonize your mind, and cross borders.
Life is not what you alone make it. Life is the input of everyone who touched your life and every experience that entered it. We are all part of one another.
I thought maybe this was the way we could show love for our country, and we should not make too much fuss or noise, we should abide by what they asked of us. I'm a totally different person now than I was back then. I was naive about so many things.
Unless we know ourselves and our history, and other people and their history, there is really no way that we can really have positive kinds of interaction where there is real understanding.
Don’t become too narrow. Live fully. Meet all kinds of people. You’ll learn something from everyone. Follow what you feel in your heart.”
Life is not what you alone make it. Life is the input of everyone who touched your life and every experience that entered it. We are all part of one another.
Our ultimate objective in learning about anything is to try to create and develop a more just society.
The United States of America is a nation where people are not united because of those three glaring frailties: racism, injustices and inequities.
Remember that consciousness is power. Tomorrow’s world is yours to build.
We are all part of one another.
The movement is contagious, and the people in it are the ones who pass on the spirit.
People have a right to violence, to rebel, to fight back. And given what the United States Government and Western powers have done to the third world, I feel that these countries should fight back.
I don’t think there will ever be a time when people will stop wanting to bring about change.
The most important thing today is to stop US wars.
Remember that consciousness is power. Consciousness is education and knowledge. Consciousness is becoming aware. It is the perfect vehicle for students. Consciousness-raising is pertinent for power, and be sure that power will not be abusively used, but used for building trust and goodwill domestically and internationally. Tomorrow's world is yours to build.
First and foremost, you do not have to live up to or emulate the lives of any of your predecessors. But at the very least, you should know about them. You will have your own life, interests, and ideas of what you want or do not want in life. Do what you enjoy doing. Be honest with yourself and others. Don't think of satisfying anyone: your elders, peers, government, religion, or children who will come after you. Develop meaningful ideals, and become conscious of others, their existence, and their lives.
The movement is contagious, and the people in it are the ones who pass on the spirit.
These are my thoughts,
Shanté
© 2023 Shante Nixon. All rights reserved.
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