16 Quotes From Inspiring Black Men & Women

I understand that I will never understand. However, I stand. And I listen. Here are 16 quotes from inspiring Black men and women. Please take in these important words and share them.

Related: 57 Inspirational Quotes By Strong Women

1// “You lose a lot of time, hating people.” – Marian Anderson (Pioneering Opera Singer)

2// “In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.” – Angela Y. Davis (Political Activist, Philosopher, Academic, and Author)

3// “No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow.” – Alice Walker (Novelist, Short Story Writer, Poet, and Social Activist)

4// “If you are fortunate to have opportunity, it is your duty to make sure other people have those opportunities as well.” – Kamala Harris (California Senator, 2020 Democratic vice presidential nominee)

5// “Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.” – Maya Angelou (Poet, Singer, Memoirist, and Civil Rights Activist)

6// “You don’t have to be one of those people that accepts things as they are. Every day, take responsibility for changing them right where you are.” – Cory Booker (New Jersey Senator)

7// “Magic lies in challenging what seems impossible.” – Carol Moseley Braun (Illinois Senator)

8// “All our silences in the face of racist assault are acts of complicity.” – bell hooks (Author, Professor, Feminist, and Social Activist)

9// “If you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.” – Malcolm X (Human Rights Activist, Leader in the Civil Rights Movement)

10// “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. (Social Activist, Leader in the Civil Rights Movement)

11// “Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – Barack Obama (First African-American President of the United States)

12// “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” – Harriet Tubman (Abolitionist and Political Activist)

13// “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” – Jackie Robinson (First African American to play in Major League Baseball)

14// “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. (Social Activist, Leader in the Civil Rights Movement)

15// “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” – Desmond Tutu (Human Rights Activist)

16// “I don’t want your love and light if it doesn’t come with solidarity and action. I have no interest in passive empathy.” – Rachel Cargle (Public Academic, Writer, and Lecturer)

Join the conversation. Add your most inspiring quotes from Black men and women in the comments below.