Language Is a Place of Struggle: Great Quotes by People of Color

Language Is a Place of Struggle is the first truly multiracial and polycultural quote book, collecting quotations from both historical and contemporary novelists and poets, activists and political leaders, and artists and musicians. Within these pages, readers will find wisdom, wit, and inspiration from Asian Americans, African Americans, Latinos, Arab Americans, American Indians, recent immigrants to the United States, and many others.

With nearly fifteen hundred quotations, this exceptional book covers a broad spectrum: from insights on spirituality to words inciting social change and justice; from the impact of colonization, slavery, and racism to observations on gender, sexuality, and identity. The quotes show how people of color in the United States have been shaped by various community histories, ongoing political and cultural struggles, and personal evolutions. Each quote reflects three core themes from the histories of people of color in America: the significance of mass movements and the role of individuals within them; the vision that binds one society to another; and the foundational relationship between an evolving society and a changing self. Each chapter--Roots, Selves, Relationship, Work and Play, Making Change, and Inner Visions--adds to the larger story about people of color in the context of history, culture, and community.

An invaluable tool for speechwriters, educators, ministers, and librarians that is accessibly organized for all readers, this entertaining and thought-provoking book is a much-needed resource for anyone interested in multicultural issues. Here you will find: Gloria Anzaldua on borders and margins; Margaret Cho on failure and success; Edwidge Danticat on women who write; Junot Diaz on masculinity; Vine Deloria, Jr., on activism; Suheir Hammad on miscegenation and identity; bell hooks on identity and oppression; Edward P. Jones on the system of racism; Philip Vera Cruz on leadership; Chogyam Trungpa on spiritual materialism; and much more.

Collects over fifteen hundred quotations from people of color on issues ranging from history and racism to community and environmental justice.

Tram Nguyen is the author of We Are All Suspects Now: Untold Stories from Immigrant Communities after 9/11. She lives in Oakland, California.

ROOTS: History — Race, ethnicity, and racism — Surviving — Migrations — SELVES: Identities — Education — Gender and sexuality — Wisdom — RELATIONSHIP: Love — Family & friendship — Community — WORK AND PLAY: Labor — Economic justice — Arts and culture — MAKING CHANGE: Organizing and activism — Leadership — Peace and justice — Environmental justice — INNER VISIONS: Spirit — Faith — Inspirations.