"Language is political. That's why you and me, my Brother and Sister, that's why we supposed to choke our natural self into the weird, lying, barbarous, unreal, white speech and writing habits that the schools lay down like holy law"
- June Jordan
About this Quote
This quote by June Jordan speaks to the power of language and how it can be used to oppress and control people. Jordan is saying that language is a tool of politics, which people are expected to conform to the language standards set by the school system. This means that people are anticipated to suppress their natural language and adopt the language of the dominant culture, which is often white. Jordan is highlighting the injustice of this system, as it requires individuals to deny their true selves and adopt a language that is not their own. This quote speaks to the power of language and how it can be utilized to oppress and control individuals. It is a suggestion that language is an effective tool and ought to be used to empower, not oppress.
This quote is written / told by June Jordan between July 9, 1936 and June 14, 2002. He/she was a famous Writer from USA.
The author also have 21 other quotes.
"Did you know that nearly one in three children live apart from their biological dads? Those kids are two to three times more likely to grow up in poverty, to suffer in school, and to have health and behavioral problems"
"As we read the school reports on our children, we realize a sense of relief that can rise to delight that thank Heaven nobody is reporting in this fashion on us"
"Now we maintain that we cannot be afford to be concerned about 6 percent of the children in this country, black children, who you allow to come into white schools. We have 94 percent who still live in shacks. We are going to be concerned about those 94 percent"
"I wanted to escape so badly. But of course I knew I couldn't just give up and leave school. It was only when I heard my mom's voice that I came out of my hiding place"
"And before our current legislature adjourns, we intend to become the first state of full and true choice by saying to every low and middle-income Hoosier family, if you think a non-government school is the right one for your child, you're as entitled to that option as any wealthy family; here's a voucher, go sign up"
