I was born 50 years
â
I was born 50 years after slavery, in 1913.
I was allowed to read.
My mother, who was a teacher,
taught me when I was a very young child.
The first school I attended was a small building
that went from first to sixth grade.
There was one teacher for all of the students.
There could be anywhere from 50 to 60 students of all different ages.
â
Meaning
This quote reflects on being born after slavery but still within segregation, and on how education from her mother shaped her early life.
About Author
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was an American civil rights activist celebrated for her pivotal role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Her quotes often reflect courage, justice, and dignity. Parks inspires activists, students, and citizens to stand against injustice, embrace civic responsibility, and advocate for equality and human rights.
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â I was born 50 years after slavery, in 1913. I was allowed to read. My mother, who was a teacher, taught me when I was a very young child. The first school I attended was a small building that went from first to sixth grade. There was one teacher for all of the students. There could be anywhere from 50 to 60 students of all different ages. â
This quote reflects on being born after slavery but still within segregation, and on how education from her mother shaped her early life.
â Time begins the healing process of wounds cut deeply by oppression. We soothe ourselves with the salve of attempted indifference, accepting the false pattern set up by the horrible restriction of Jim Crow laws. â
This quote means oppression leaves wounds that time only partly heals, especially when people are pressured to accept the false normal of unjust laws.
â As far back as I can remember, I knew there was something wrong with our way of life when people could be mistreated because of the color of their skin. â
This quote means she recognized racial injustice from childhood. The wrongness of discrimination was obvious to her very early.