Unapologetic Quotes

“Being radical is a choice, and it takes work. A person with a marginalized identity can engage in conservative, oppressive political work, and activists, organizers, and intellectuals living under capitalism, colonialism, anti-Black racism, and patriarchy require years of unlearning or decolonization.”
― Charlene Carruthers, Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements

“And the metaphorical lenses we choose are crucial, having the power to magnify, create better focus, and correct our vision.”
― Charlene Carruthers, Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements

“Black feminists and LGBTQ activists are labeled “hijackers” and said to be divisive or co-opting or distracting from what is important, and what is “important” is the mainstream narrative propped up by patriarchy and misogyny (straight-up hatred of women).”
― Charlene Carruthers, Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements

“One could argue that people can only teach what they know. Or, looking at it from a different perspective, at some point we all lack knowledge about something until we choose or are forced to learn. Anyone committed to collective liberation must acknowledge ignorance and take up the work of comprehensive political education. For example, I have been out of my depth on disability justice and climate change, to name two topics, and so I follow the lead of people who are more knowledgeable. But this doesn’t let me off the hook: I still need to seek out knowledge on my own about these issues.”
― Charlene Carruthers, Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements

“We live in a country where people work forty or more hours a week and still live in poverty because they don’t earn a living wage ... Meritocracy is a lie.”
― Charlene Carruthers, Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements