Deray McKesson Speaks On “Coming Out Of The Quiet”

In this talk, Deray McKesson shares about the collective power of the people who contributed to #BlackLivesMatter; a movement that’s changed, and is changing the world.

Deray also offers some encouraging words to those who would continue the work.

“There’s danger in the either-or. When loving myself only looks one way, when protest is either in the streets, or not at all, this puts constraints on the way that we express ourselves and the ways that we can get free.”

“When I think about the quiet I think about the places we are not supposed to make noise. And for so many of us, the world is a place where we’re not supposed to make noise; where we’re asked to hide who we are, and be silent about the injustices that we face.”

“Each of us will have to continue to find, the people that are in the quiet and create space for and with them to come out of the quiet.”

“Just because people aren’t shouting doesn’t mean that they are being silent. Just because people aren’t showing up in the ways that you expect, doesn’t mean that they are hiding.”

Ubuntu,

From Aspiring Humanitarian, Relando Thompkins-Jones, MSW, LLMSW

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I'm a Social Justice Educator and Aspiring Humanitarian who is interested in conflict resolution, improving intergroup relations, and building more equitable and inclusive communities. "Notes from an Aspiring Humanitarian" is my blog, where I write about issues of diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice. By exploring social identities through written word, film & video, and other forms of media, I hope to continue to expand and enrich conversations about social issues that face our society, and to find ways to take social action while encouraging others to do so as well in their own ways.

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7 Responses

  1. Chacalit says:

    I like this video because is saying that we don’t have to be quiet about what we are living!

  2. Impower You says:

    Great talk. I like how he ended with “The beautiful complexity in all of our identity.” That’s a great description of how we should see ourselves.

    • True! Our identities are complex. I also appreciated where he said “Just because people aren’t shouting, doesn’t mean that they are being silent. Just because people aren’t showing up in the ways that you expect, doesn’t mean that they are hiding”

      For me that was a great reminder that each of us has something to contribute, and to honor those contributions, although they may look different than ways I would contribute myself.

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