28 Quotes for Black History Month

1. I was raised to believe that excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism. -Oprah Winfrey
2. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. -Martin Luther King Jr.
3. If you have no critics, you’ll likely have no success. -Malcolm X

   

4. 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 and change the world. -Harriet Tubman
5. If you want to lift yourself up, lift someone else up. -Booker T. Washington
6. All great achievements require time. -Maya Angelou
7. I didn’t learn to be quiet when I had an opinion. The reason they knew who I was is because I told them. -Ursula Burns
8. Women must become revolutionary. This cannot be evolution but revolution. -Shirley Chisholm
9. It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. -Frederick Douglass
10. Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. -Ella Fitzgerald
11. Progression is the attraction that moves humanity. -Marcus Garvey
12. Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never knew. -Cicely Tyson
13. I want to be remembered as someone who used herself and anything she could touch to work for justice and freedom…. I want to be remembered as one who tried. -Dorothy Height
14. We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead. -Beyonce

15. We have to talk about liberating minds as well as liberating society. -Angela Davis
16. The only tired I was, was tired of giving in. -Rosa Parks
17. History has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own. -Michelle Obama
18. Don’t wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get, you’ve got to make yourself. -Alice Walker
19. Women, if the soul of the nation is to be saved, I believe that you must become its soul. -Coretta Scott King
20. Failure to recognize possibilities is the most dangerous and common mistake one can make. -Mae Jemison
21. Whether you think you’re worth $100 or $1,000— you’re right. -Danielle Leslie
22. What I want young women and girls to know is that you are powerful and your voice matters. -Kamala Harris
23. Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come, get up and make them. -Madam C.J. Walker
24. Do not desire to fit in. Desire to oblige yourselves to lead. -Gwendolyn Brooks
25. The success of every woman should the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up. Make sure you’re very courageous: be strong, be extremely kind and above all be humble. -Serena Williams
26. When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid. -Audre Lorde
27. It’s only when you risk failure that you discover things. When you play it safe, you’re not expressing the utmost of your human experience. -Lupita Nyong’o
28. Don’t settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave it all you had. -Angela Bassett

These men and women were chosen as some of the most influential people in black history. Most of these people made history and have continued to influence and inspire others through their word, thought, and deed. For the others that I haven’t heard of up until today, their words had power and meaning, and I felt as though it needed to be shared. This past year has most definitely made history, and the people whose words I chose have and will continue to force people to make a change. 

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